


Vacation

by perniciousLizard



Series: Was This A Good Idea? [1]
Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: M/M, Post-Series
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-03
Updated: 2015-02-05
Packaged: 2018-03-10 06:51:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 22,913
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3280811
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/perniciousLizard/pseuds/perniciousLizard
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Setting up a working democracy turns out to be a lot of effort, and King Wu needs a little R&R.  He convinces Mako to take some time off and spend a couple weeks in Ba Sing Se with him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Wu stepped out on his balcony and took a deep breath, inhaling the night air. It was the balcony overlooking a small animal enclosure, and it smelled like it. He coughed, cleared his throat, and sighed, leaning against the rail.

The palace had been pretty sparse when he first returned. Rooms that should have been filled with ten thousand year old artifacts were completely empty. He had plans to fix it up and set it up as a prime tourist location. Maybe there would be nightly parties in the ballroom, and he could premier his first single in front of the adoring crowd.

He sighed again and flipped around, back against the rail. He leaned back, until his feet were off the ground. If only he had the time to transform this rotting husk of a palace into the tourist trap/gambling parlor/dance hall/animal shelter of his dreams! Was he going to get a chance after the constitutional assembly and after his official abdication to really whip this place into shape?

After a while he started to hum to himself, and there was a rumbling down on the ground level. He caught himself from falling backwards off the balcony and spun around.

"Who’s my favorite badgermole?" he sang, louder. "Oh~ I’m only joking, every one of you is my favorite."

He really needed a vacation! It took him three hours to get ready in the morning, and three more to wind down, and other than his 12 hour beauty sleep and his two hour lunch he barely had a minute that wasn’t spent working on some new problem that popped up.

He ran back inside, and a pair of confused badgermoles burrowed back underground.

“Guards! Guards!” he yelled.

Ten confused and heavily armed guards burst into the room. “Your highness! What’s the matter?”

“You guys, I just had the best idea!” He was bouncing up and down in excitement. “But I want to spitball it and you have to level with me.” He gestured to a pair of green sofas. “Take a load off your feet and hear me out.”

The glanced at each other and a couple of the guards shrugged. They sheathed their weapons and the earthbenders relaxed their stances.

“Sit, sit!” he started leading them individually to the couches.

—

_Mako,_

_It’s been an eternity since you sent your last letter! I’m going to have this entire government transition wrapped up before you remember to sit down and let me know how you’re doing! I’m glad the whole cop thing is working out for you, really, but that doesn’t mean you can neglect your best buddy._

_Ok, ok, enough of that. I’ve had the best idea! I’m going to ask you something important, and if I don’t get any reply in a month, well, you don’t even want to know what I’m capable of!_

_Things have been kind of rough for everyone, haven’t they? That’s why you should take a break and grab your lovely grandmother and your family (even Bolin! I’ve 100% forgiven him for the whole Kuvira “incident”) and take them on a restive trip to their beautiful home country! Seriously, don’t they miss it? And I know for a fact that you won’t be giving yourself enough of a break. Work, work, work, blah blah blah._

_Bring whoever you want! Any lovely new dame in your life? Haul her along and I’ll give you two the best room in the palace._

_~Wu out~_

—

Mako’s mouth twitched into a smile as he read Wu’s letter. The scent from the paper was overpowering, even holding it as far from his face as he could and still read it. He actually recognized the cologne, and he could picture Wu spritzing it in the envelope before he sealed it.

“What’s that horrible stench?” The Chief asked. “Some kind of love note? Keep that off the job, kid.”

“It’s Prince Wu,” he said, dropping the note on his desk with the rest of his mail.

“Hey, I didn’t ask for details.”

“Chief!” He pinched the bridge of his nose. “I just—no. No. He wants my family to stay at the palace so he has an excuse to slack off while we’re there.”

“You taking him up on it?” She crossed her arms over her chest. “Might as well. This is as much of a lull as we’re going to get.”

Mako frowned. “I might actually take some time off, then.” Sincethis was going to be his last chance for a while. Bolin was off traveling around the world with Opal, and Grandma Yin might want to see her home again. He picked the letter up again.

—

_Wu,_

_I do read your letters, even if I don’t have time to send anything back. Bolin got married last month, and last I heard he's in Omashu._

_I have permission to take some time off. I actually wouldn’t mind visiting the Earth Kingdom again._

_Mako_

—

Wu rolled his eyes when he got to the end of the note. Mako had no idea how to make a letter interesting, but at least it was good news. He tossed aside the rest of his boring mail and hopped out of his desk chair.

He picked up a framed photograph. It was him, one arm slung over Mako's shoulders, and his other on Grandma Yin's back. Tu stood behind him, grinning. He really missed his old pals. He teared up and set the photograph back down.

Once he'd gathered up “the guys,” his loyal team of guards, they took a trip down to the travel agency to start arranging Mako's visit. He passed an impressive looking massage parlor on the way, and got he and his pals a full treatment to celebrate—well, whatever they wanted to celebrate. The agency was closed up by the time he actually got there, but he didn't have full confirmation of the visit yet, so maybe it was better to hold off. Everything worked out! 

–

When he tried to settle down to sleep that night, his whole body felt warm and relaxed from the massage. His skin tingled. He should have nodded right off.

Instead, he lay there spread across his mattress, staring at the ceiling long enough for his eyes to adjust. He started to make out parts of the elaborate mural his great-great-granduncle had put in. During the looting that followed his great aunt's assassination, someone had gotten up there and scrawled a crude epitaph. How had he never noticed that before?

He rolled over, pulling his blankets over his head. He remembered the broad line of Mako's shoulders as he stood between Wu and that unruly mob on his coronation day.

He sat up. That whole terrible day was etched in his memory, but that was what he flashed back to?

He tried to remember how many times Mako had saved his life, back in Republic City. Sixteen times? He remembered being yanked away at the last second from stepping on a piece of rotting fruit. He thought maybe those had been hornets and not bees crawling inside it, but he was going to count that.

He just _missed_ him. All of them, sure, but Mako was the guy who kept his backside intact for three years. That had to explain why he couldn't get him out of his head, lately.

Or, he was suffocating under the weight of the enormous crush he had on him.

Wu groaned and scrubbed his face with his hands. No, that wasn't right. He loved the big stoic fussbudget with all his heart, but he wasn't head over heels _in_ love with him.

But, thinking about it, he was pretty sure that being in love was one of those things that there was no point denying, at least to yourself. It was like being thirsty. If someone offered you a drink you didn't like, you'd just turn it down without a second thought. You wouldn't keep telling yourself “I'm not thirsty” and denying your dry throat and your damp sandpaper tongue just to keep yourself from sipping some foul bargain brand seltzer water.

He closed his eyes.

\--

Mako was standing over him, as they said goodbye. Wu was in a rotten mood, his job offer turned down too decisively, but he was trying to pick himself up so they left each other on a high note.

Mako put his hand on Wu's shoulder. “I'm proud of you,” he said. He had said some other things, too, but that one stood out.

Wu knocked his hand away and hugged him. “Take care of yourself.” He told him to find a nice dame to drag him away from the stiffs every now and then.

Mako hugged him back. Wu's face was briefly pressed against his chest, and then he was pushed away again.

\--

His eyes flew open. Yeah, you didn't remember a hug in graphic detail because you were a little sad saying goodbye to your friendly platonic pal. He could recreate the smell of it at a perfumer's.

–-

_Mako,_

_Just let me know when and who and everything will be ready. In fact, you can skip sending it to me and just send info right on to a lovely lady with the tourist bureau. I'll stick her card in the envelope._

_She's shorter than me, but I bet she has to duck going through standard doors with the way she's done up her hair. And she's got assets beyond just her well developed skill setting up group travel plans, believe me. She said she's married, but I didn't see any jewelry._

_Oh, hey, if you're bringing a girlfriend, though, duplicate that letter to big-hair and send me the copy. And add on all the juicy details!_

_~Prince Wu~_

–-

There were only a couple people in the world whose friendship he valued more than he valued a quick roll in the sheets. He had to think responsibly, like he was supposed to.

He hoped he lucked out and Mako had a stupid haircut.


	2. Chapter 2

The station was mostly empty after the midnight drunks stumbled onto the last regular outgoing train. A man was fast asleep on one of the benches, waiting for the morning. A couple other people were waiting for the same incoming train as Wu was, but they were oblivious to the fact that they were in the presence of royalty.

Wu rocked from his heels to his toes and back again for a few minutes past when the train was supposed to come in, and then he started pacing. His guard, a burly woman (numerous children, devoted to her husband and completely unavailable), leaned on an empty luggage pushcart and yawned.

“This is an outrage!” Wu said to her. “Someone needs to do something about--” he stopped talking as he noticed a lights in the distance. “They're here!”

She smiled, slightly. “Maybe we don't need to tear apart the whole system for just a five minute delay.”

“I'm missing out on a lot of sleep for this, Li Jing,” he said. “Have a little sympathy.”

“I'm only ever filled with pity for you, your majesty. I promise.”

He pointed at her. “You think I'm a sap, but I know exactly how you feel about me.”

The train came to a screeching halt and Wu forgot what he was talking about. He hurried over to the door. Tu was waiting on the other side and he waved. Oh, that Tu. The doors opened and he embraced him. Yin was with him, and he gave her a much more dignified greeting. She still got all weak at the knees like a dame should when a (soon to be ex) royal gave her a personalized hello. Tu held her arm so she didn't tip over and fall in the gap.

He walked them onto the platform, remembering the rest of the cousin's names. There was a tightness in his throat he was trying to ignore.

A heavy hand fell on his shoulder, and a shiver shot down his spine. Did he recognize that hand? He turned around and showed Mako his most winning smile.

“Hey!” Mako said. He smiled back, reflexively. “I guess it's been a while.”

“Are you kidding? It's been forever!” He stepped back and looked Mako up and down. His hair was longer now, but he was still slicking it back. It did not suit him at all, but even with that glaring flaw, he still looked good. That was the curse of him being naturally handsome.

Mako raised an eyebrow. “Are you wearing---” He shook his head. “Never mind.”

“What do you think? It makes my eyes _pop_ , right? Come on, let's skedaddle.” He smiled at Grandma Mako. “Yin, Li Jing will take your bags.”

His guard shrugged and started loading suitcases onto the cart.

Wu took Mako's arm, his good one, and started pulling him along. “Let's get in the Satomobile. I'm exhausted, and your train being late didn't help anything. Oh, did you bring your girlfriend?”

“What girlfriend?” Mako asked. “I told you, I'm not seeing anyone.” He let himself be pulled along.

“I guess I just can't believe it, a handsome fella like yourself.”

 Wu's driver, a middle aged man with thick spectacles, turned on the engine as he saw Wu and Mako approaching.

“Let's hit it, Zhang,” Wu said.

“Are we going to the palace? And what about everyone else?” Mako asked, as he was pulled inside the car. “And what about my stuff?”

“I think we can fit a couple more people, if we don't mind getting cuddly,” Wu said. “Don't worry! I've got it all covered.” Well, bighair had it covered, but a huge part of being a leader was finding quality people to delegate to.

“If you say so.”

“I had plans for when you came in, but when I made them I don't think I realized how late this was,” Wui said, frowning. “Does this mean I'm getting old, Mako? If I feel this way, how is poor Yin going to feel?”

“What exactly are you planning?” He gave Wu a worried look.

“Just a huge dinner-slash-breakfast with everyone,” he said, “With some entertainment from a pack of trained deer dogs and ending with some soothing mood music to send everyone comfortably off to bed.” He yawned, wide. “But maybe we can do that tomorrow. But everyone's going to want to go off and do their own thing as soon as possible, if I know vacations.  _And I know vacations, Mako._ What should I do? It's not like the deer dogs are going to have a primadonna hissyfit if they go off-schedule.”

“Wu, calm down,” Mako said. “I'm tired, everyone's tired. Let me see the rooms you kept telling me you were giving to me and the girlfriend you imagined.”

“I'm completely calm,” Wu protested. He moved his hands apart, slowly, emulating gentle waves. “Calm.”

Mako frowned. He couldn't say that Wu had been acting strange since he had arrived. He just wasn't used to it anymore.

He wanted to talk to him about his plans for abdication. There was apparently some kind of schedule for that, and Korra had mentioned conflicts popping up between avowed monarchists, Kuvira's staunch supporters, and the people who wanted the Republic formed two months ago. The Kuvira supporters were getting quieter as more and more came out about her flagrant abuses of power, but that just meant the monarchists were getting louder.

The constituent assembly was coming up fast, and that was supposed to resolve everything, and then King Wu would be able to step down without creating a power vacuum and rioting, but Mako didn't think it was going to be that easy. But the longer Wu waited until he stepped down, the more everyone got used to someone sitting in the palace bossing everyone around. And the more Wu was probably getting used to that, himself.

Instead of dealing with that, he was inviting friends over? He hoped that the letters hadn't told him the whole story, or else he was going to be very disappointed.

Wu slid closer and put his arm around Mako's shoulders. He leaned in. “Mako,” he whispered, loud, like a toddler who didn't understand the purpose of whispering, “I have made  _so_ many plans. Just wait until you meet some of the high-class tomatoes they keep in the first ring. I know a lady with a chassis like a mover star who's just kicked her old man to the curb and is on the lookout for a good time.”

“Wu,” Mako said, a note of warning in his voice, “Why are you trying to set me up?”

“Not with anyone serious,” Wu said, “But why not have a little fun while you're here? As far as I can tell, you haven't even gone on a date since the Avatar, and all that repressed energy can't be good for your health. I hear it makes you go blind.”

“What?” He stared for a second and then sighed and gently pushed Wu away. “Don't set me up with people. Why would you--” he shook his head, “Never mind.”

“If you think about it, I'm the perfect guy to do it. We have the same taste in dames, right?”

Mako was pretty sure that he had never seen Wu not hit on a woman, which meant that of course Wu had to like the same women Mako liked. “Just—don't.”

“Fiiiine.” Wu slumped down in his seat. “But don't blame me if it happens, anyway. That's what vacations are for.”

“I'm not saying it won't happen,” Mako admitted, “But don't try to set me up with women. Just thinking about you doing that is making me sick to my stomach.” He realized that the trip from the train station to the palace wasn't long when you got to skip all the security.

“You know,” Wu looked up at him, “I love you, Mako,” he pressed his hands on his chest, “With all my heart. But sometimes it's like you're the chief of the fun police.”

Mako had heard that joke from three completely different people, at three completely different times, now. Maybe there was some truth to it. But it wasn't like he was refusing to let Wu set him up with anyone because he didn't want to date  _at all_ . “Fine. But the chief is tired and just wants some sleep, so can you blame him?”

The Satomobile pulled to a stop and Wu got out. The late night was really starting to get to him. He leaned against the running car while he waited for Mako.

He was wearing a black suit, not unlike his police uniform. The gloves were new, probably meant to cover up whatever was left of the scar on his hand and arm. He seemed taller, more stern. Wu's heart rate went up, watching him. Any doubt he had about his own feelings were ground into dust.

“I don't know where anything is,” Mako pointed out. Wu suddenly looked ill, or like he had hit a wall. “Lead the way.”

Wu groaned and pushed himself off the car, so he was standing.

“You all right?” He smiled.

Wu covered his face. “Perfect. Is it hot out tonight? It's too hot. Let's get inside.” He turned around and started walking. Looking directly at Mako right now was like staring at the sun for too long.

“You just need to get some sleep.”

“Good ol' Mako. You were always taking care of me.” He looked up again just in time to see that he was about to walk into a lantern pole.

Mako grabbed his arm and yanked him out of danger at the last instant. “Look where you're going!”

Wu blinked at the lantern pole and then turned around. “Ha! I almost walked right into it! You saved my life, Mako.” He grinned.

“I don't think that counts.” Mako also reluctantly started to smile.

“Don't tell anyone about that. It'll ruin my reputation with the ladies.” He turned back and started walking. “Just a secret between you, me, those guards, and anyone with a window facing the courtyard.”

“No one will ever find out.”

He took Mako directly to his rooms. He had been so sure Mako was bringing a girlfriend, the bedroom had a bed the same size as the entire roomy bathroom. Twelve people could have comfortable whoopee on it, and, according to what Wu knew of his family history, occasionally had done exactly that. There was also another bedroom attached, in case Mako and his lady love were a little more traditional.

“Why would I ever need this much space?” Mako asked.

“It's a vacation!” Wu answered. “Good night, buddy. I have so many plans for the rest of this trip, you had better get some sleep while you can!”

“Plans? That's terrifying,” Mako said. He sat down on the edge of the bed. “Good night.”

Wu left, leaving Mako alone in a room that his entire family could have lived in. He lay back and stared up at the ceiling. He was exhausted. Getting his family all on the same train at the right time had been herding cats. But now he was too wound up to fall asleep.

He got up and went into the bathroom. He showered off the traveling grime, thinking about what he actually wanted to do with this vacation. Nothing would be nice. He might see if he could find a place for Grandma Yin and anyone else in the family who missed living in Ba Sing Se. Things had stabilized, as much as they ever would. He had gotten used to having more family than he had ever imagined, as a kid, and it would hurt saying goodbye. But if they wanted to go, well, he understood that.

He left the bathroom and found that his suitcases had materialized by the door. That must mean that everyone had gotten in safely. This time, sleep came easily.

–

Wuko's first thought in the morning was that he had forgotten to cancel the party. He hoped Mako's family had a good time, but he was a little peeved about missing it himself.

He sat up, his hair immediately flopping over into his eyes. He thought about seeing Mako again and felt a brief thrill that quickly turned to sick misery. He fell forward again, groaning.

His “plan,” if it was even organized enough to be called that, was already turning into a miserable failure. Mako's part was to fall in love with some Earth Nation broad, preferably someone who would take proper care of him and maybe loosen him up a touch. Then, maybe that quality dame wouldn't want to leave her home, and he'd decide to settle in Ba Sing Se. And, hey, Wu would help an old buddy out, get a job in town, and they would get to see each other on a regular basis.

There was literally no downside to this plan. That loaded divorcee he'd mentioned last night was absolutely perfect. She said she'd always had a thing for fire benders, and younger men, and guys in uniform—she was on board! Sure, she wasn't up for a long term commitment, _she said,_ but once she met Mako she was going to fall in love with him and that would be that.

So of course Mako tripped on step one. Still, everyone fell in love on vacation, right? Even a saucy waitress would be fine.

He flopped out of bed and started getting ready. He had it down to a science, but it still wasn't an instantaneous process. He was touching up a bad stroke of eyeliner when someone knocked to make sure he was at least awake.

“Are you joking? I'm almost ready!” Normally, he didn't wake up for another hour.

He hurried out to meet everyone for breakfast. Most of the family had already eaten and they were off visiting the zoo with the kiddies. Two gray haired women wearing sunhats and huge sunglasses were sitting at the huge table in the center of the room, arguing over a map. Mako was still there, too, staring bleary eyed into space, slowly chewing.

Wu grabbed a crab puff from the buffet table and pulled out the seat next to Mako. He tossed the puff in his mouth.

“Did you try the shrimp tarts?” Wu asked. He reached onto Mako's plate and had his hand knocked away.

“Get your own.” He glanced at Wu. “Morning.”

“Good morning! Everyone headed out kind of early,” he said, frowning.

“The youngest kids were starting to fuss,” he said. “And it's not that early.”

“You look like it's too early.” He rested his elbows on the table, and then set his chin in his hands. “Tell me, Mako, how's the room? Everything all right in there?”

“It's huge! I can't imagine ever needing that much space.” He rubbed his eyes.

One of his servants set breakfast in front of Wu. Getting food at the buffet on your own was for people who weren't the king.

“You have a pretty limited imagination, then,” Wu said, shrugging. He sipped his tea. He was going to miss this impeccable service after they turned the palace into a parliament or whatever.

“What am I supposed to imagine, here?” Mako asked. “Do you bring your badgermoles in to sleep with you?”

“No! I would never make them stay someplace where they wouldn't be comfortable!” Wu protested. “They need dirt under their claws.”

“But, me, it's fine if I'm not comfortable.” He bit into a shrimp tart.

“You just aren't used to it.” He waved his hand, dismissing him. “But if it really bugs you, there are 100 other rooms you could choose from. There's one in my wing that's more like a closet than a bedroom. I think one of my great-granduncles used to keep cats in there and there was a whole colony until all the animals were purged from the place. Great-great granduncle?” He frowned, trying to remember.

“No, I think you were right the first time.” He had done some reading when he was first assigned to watch Prince Wu, and then it hadn't actually mattered to Wu if he knew his lineage.

“Maybe I should move some more cats in there before the next government takes over,” he said, mumbling through a mouthful of crab puffs.

“Why would you--” he paused, raising his eyebrows. “So that's all on schedule?”

“What, the changeover?” Wu asked. He frowned and took a sip of his tea. “Ugh, sure, I guess. Everyone is making a big deal about the small details. Korra is actually supposed to be sorting out some of the outer provinces, but I haven't heard anything yet.” She and Asami had taken a very snazzy looking airship out that way.

“Shouldn't you know more about this?” he prodded.

“Probably.” He wanted to talk about anything else. “But when you get different information from every person you talk to....” He shrugged.

“Well. Korra at least will give you straight talk on what's going on,” he said.

“Oh, I'm definitely looking forward to talking to her again,” he said, brightening.

Everyone other than the two of them and a lone servant had cleared out of the banquet hall.

Mako wondered if he should break it to Wu how little of a shot he had with Korra. “What are you doing after you abdicate?” he asked, instead. Maybe something to do with his ill-advised singing career.

Wu _really_ didn't want to be pressed about that. He pushed aside his tea. “I don't remember you eating this slow before. Let's get out of here and I'll take you around the city!”

“You don't have any plans.”

“I didn't say that!” he said, annoyed. “But we're not supposed to be talking about anything serious. This is a vacation. A vacation! Your goal should be figuring out where the most relaxing place in the city is, getting there, and forgetting everything you're supposed to be worrying about.”

“Well, you can just tell me which place that is,” Mako pointed out.

“Exactly!” He continued, soothing, “So you can just shut off your brain and let Prince Wu handle everything.” He patted Mako's shoulder, once. “Okay? So let's go!”

“I'm not going to a spa,” Mako said. He brushed Wu's hand off and stood up.

“Massage parlor?” he asked, raising an eyebrow. “Dance hall?

Mako wondered if it was just going to be the two of them. He didn't mind, after the overdose of his family yesterday.

Wu held his hand up and Mako stared at it for a second, not comprehending. He rolled his eyes and pulled a grinning Wu to his feet.

“What did I do without you?” Wu asked, wistful. He swept around and walked to the door, gesturing for Mako to follow him.


	3. Chapter 3

They sat down at a small table outside of a shaved ice parlor. The building was old, but the sign with the brightly colored ice-themed mascot was brand new.

Wu poked at his bacui berry flavored shaved ice, thinking. “Did you get a look at the waterbenders in there?” He fanned himself with his napkin. “Good thing they have to keep it so cold. The head one looks like the kind of assertive broad that's your type, Mako.”

“No,” he said. “One: I told you, I'm not letting you set me up with anyone. Two: she's like, what, forty? She's probably married with kids!”

“You don't know that. Tough women like that have trouble finding men who aren't intimidated by the good looks-ambition combo. She reminds me of Kuvira, except concentrating on the iced dessert industry. But you aren't the kind of weak-jawed nobody intimidated by dames with a little spunk.”

“No, I'm not. But, no. Just. No.” Mako rubbed his head.

Wu rolled his eyes. “Well, your loss.” This was hard. The country was full of eligible bachelorettes, but he was pretty sure he had messed up his own plan by not being more subtle at the start.

“If you like her so much, you go flirt with her. But don't actually do that, because she's trying to work.”

“Ehhh...” Wu made a face. This was another topic he didn't want Mako bringing up, but he supposed he had been noticeably lax in pouring on his trademark Wu charm. “I'm taking a break from breaking hearts, as well as everything else.”

Mako's eyebrows shot up. “Seriously? What brought this on?”

Wu leaned in. “You're taking a big interest, aren't you? I'm flattered. Maybe I just want to spend some platonic friend time with my best buddy Mako, all right?”

Mako stuffed spoonful of shaved ice in his mouth and spoke around it. “You're full of it.”

“I was being nothing but sincere.”

“Did you get dumped?”

“Never!” Wu protested. “I've never been dumped in my life! Occasionally we've talked it through and come to a _mutual_ decision, but that's entirely different.”

“Well, did you come to a _mutual decision_ with someone?”

That would be an easy lie, if he wanted to stop talking about his love life. Normally he loved that particular topic, and things had picked up nicely once he had come back to the Earth Kingdom a heroic and princely champion. It was just a depressing subject right that second. “Nah. We should go see if a mover's starting.”

For someone as self-obsessed as Prince Wu, he was changing the subject away from himself a lot. It was like before the coronation, trying to ask him any details about how he planned to rule. This was suspicious, but it was also none of Mako's business. “You haven't even finished, yet,” he pointed out.

“I didn't mean we should throw our food on the ground and run and catch a mover,” he said. “I just wonder what's playing. Has your brother been in anything? His co-stars were always something else.”

“I think he's planning on it, but not until he's back from his trip,” Mako said.

Feeling safe on this topic, Wu decided not to push the mover idea. They finished, and took their time getting to the theater. It was the one closest to the palace, and they ran into some of Mako's extended family.

–

Later, Mako and Chow escorted Grandma Yin back to her room.

“The king seems well,” she said, stars in her eyes. Despite the upheaval, the last few years had been some of the greatest she had ever had. Meeting royalty was up there with meeting her grandchildren for the first time.

“Sure,” Mako said. “I don't think he has any idea what he's doing. But that's never put him in a bad mood before.”

“Oh, I'm sure in a few years when he's given up on all this abdication nonsense, he will know exactly what to do.”

“What? He's not giving up that idea,” he said, rubbing his head. “Where did you hear that?”

“Oh, Mako,” she said, “Even if he steps down, he'll never stop being our king.”

“Mom isn't going to change her mind on this,” Chow said, shrugging.

“Did you tell him that you think he shouldn't step down?” Mako asked.

“Oh, no! I would never presume,” she said. She stared into space, imagining being invited to a royal wedding. Wu would outshine his bride.

“Goodnight, grandma,” Mako said, as they reached her door. He started back to his own room—he had ended up switching to the cat room. It was still more space than he would ever need alone, despite Wu describing it as a “closet.”

Wait. Wu's closets were big enough for a large family to live in. That description was meaningless.

He reached the guards at the entrance to Wu's wing. “Hey,” he said.

“Go ahead,” one said, sounding bored.

“Thanks.” He went in, and heard the two of them restart the conversation he had interrupted. That could have been him—standing outside of some rich guy's door all night. Police work wasn't always exciting, but bodyguard work had been soul-sucking tedium.

It was easier to like Wu, he thought, when he had some say in whether he spent time with him. He had even had a chance to start to miss him.

He walked into his new room. There was a cat sitting on his luggage, on the bed. There had been no cat there when he had been shown the room before dinner. It was enormous, white, and it hissed when he tried to shoo it off his stuff.

“You aren't supposed to be in here,” Mako said. “...at least get off the bed.”

The cat stood on the luggage, fur on end, defending its territory.

He went to the bathroom, hoping it would run off while he was out of sight. When he got back, it was on the pillow, watching him.

“I get it,” he said. “This is your room. But, c'mon, sleep on the floor. I don't want to have to move again.” He considered sleeping on the small loveseat under the window. It was a dark green, like most of the room, and coated in a layer of white fur. This cat had been living here for longer than he had.

He had slept in worse conditions, but he was annoyed. There were not supposed to be cats in here. He had been told that. He _remembered_ being told that. He walked back into the hall and started in the direction of what he was pretty sure was Wu's bedroom. Maybe when he got back, the cat would be sleeping on the loveseat or anywhere else.

There were a few more guards, and none of them seemed to mind him just wandering around. One of them even directed him to Wu's bedroom.

Once he was there, he wasn't sure why he was. He should have just had one of the guards deal with the cat. He knocked, anyway.

“Who's there?” Wu called from the other side of the door. “I'm not decent.”

“Oh...it's just—I'll go.”

The door swung open. “Mako?” Wu was wearing a towel on his hair and a thin green bathrobe. His face was slathered in something mint colored. The herbal smell was overpowering. “This is something. I wasn't expecting a visit, but come on in.”

“This isn't a visit. Well, okay fine, it is. What's on your face? It smells horrible.” He was repulsed, but also fascinated.

“You get used to it, and it makes your skin as soft as a baby's. Also, if your sinuses are at all plugged up, ten minutes with this on and you're breathing again!” He grabbed the front of Mako's shirt and stepped back, pulling him into his room.

“I'm not here for—oh, god, did you have some of that on your hands?” He looked down at the greasy green stain on his shirt. He couldn't escape from it, now.

“You interrupted me right in the middle of the process,” Wu said. “But sorry about your shirt. You can never really get rid of that smell, but after it's been washed a few times, it fades a little. I lost one of my best scarves to this stuff.”

He took Mako over to a guest chair, set him down, and then sat himself down nearby. He crossed his legs, revealing almost every inch of his skinny, smooth legs. “Now, Mako, what is it? Is something wrong with your accommodations?” His voice was soothing.

“It's hard to talk to you with that stuff all over your face,” Mako said. And it would be nice if his robe was a little longer. He looked around the room. “You said there weren't any animals in that room you gave me. I _remember_ you saying it. Right?”

“Yeah, there haven't been animals in that room since Great Aunt threw them out because of her allergies. But, I mean, something could have gotten out of the zoo or the conservatory.”

“It's a cat.”

“Huh. Maybe someone else had the same idea I did. I swear it wasn't in there a month ago. Do you hate cats or something, Mako?” he asked, frowning in disapproval.

“No, it's just on the bed and it wouldn't move,” he said. He said, a little quieter, “It hissed at me.” He was getting embarrassed. It wasn't that big of a deal.

“I want to meet your new friend,” Wu decided. “Let me scrape this slop off my face first, though.” He hopped back up and headed to the bathroom.

While he was gone, Mako tried to wipe the small greasy looking glob of face cream off his shirt. All he managed to do was attach the smell to his hands. He wondered if it would ruin the image Wu had of him if he started to cry.

When Wu came back out, his face was clear of any sign of the gunk. He had taken off the towel, and had on a green pair of silk pajamas. His hair was completely free of its usual product, so he was using a hair clip to keep his bangs out of his eyes. “All right!” He clasped his hands together. “Let's meet this pussy cat!”

“Wu, you're something else,” Mako said. He was smiling a little. “It's probably gone.” There was no point trying to convince Wu not to come along, now. It was all about meeting the cat.

“We have to make sure someone's taking care of it,” he insisted.

They walked down the hall to Mako's bedroom. As soon as Mako opened the door for him, Wu went still. He approached the cat (still on the bed) very slowly, crooning gently at it. Mako stayed in the doorway.

When the cat started to growl, Wu stopped moving entirely. Mako held his breath. Was he going to have to get a new room again?

But ten minutes later, Wu was holding the enormous white cat while it purred like a running Satomobile. It rubbed its face against Wu's and nuzzled against his neck.

“See?” Wu said, still quiet, “No problem.” He set the cat down on the loveseat and it stood there, rubbing its head against his hand. “Friendly little fella. You just must've startled him when you walked in here.”

“You're like the princess in that mover,” Mako said. At least Wu didn't have to sing to cats to get them to like him.

“It's a domestic cat, not a feral cat owl,” Wu scoffed. “Now get over here and introduce yourself.”

Mako looked doubtful. “...nice cat,” he tried. “Good kitty.” He walked over, slowly.

The cat's ears drew back, and he was watching Mako closely, but he didn't growl or move away from Wu's hand. He and the cat came to an uneasy truce.

“Now, just feed him a couple times, and you're golden,” Wu said.

“Great.” He went over and pulled his luggage onto the floor. There was cat hair everywhere. He sat down on the edge of the bed.

Wu leaned forward on the loveseat, idly stroking the cat. Mako had unbuttoned the top two buttons of his shirt at some point. It revealed absolutely nothing, but the expression on Wu's face was wistful nevertheless.

Mako glanced over. “What are you looking at? Are you staying here all night?”

Wu's laugh was a little too high pitched. “I'm just so tired!” He stood up and clasped his hands together. The cat started and jumped down off the couch.

Mako shook his head. “Good night, Wu.” He wasn't going to think too hard about Wu acting strange.

“Night!” He hurried out the door, the cat running after him. He told himself he needed to get his act together.

Mako closed the door after them before he went back to bed.

–

The next morning, Mako woke up with the white cat sleeping on his chest. He distinctly remembered closing him outside. He searched around for another entrance, but didn't find one. The next two nights, he closed the cat outside again, only to find him somewhere in the room the next morning. Wu had someone bring him a bag of food for it, and the huge fur ball ate whatever he was offered, but he didn't eat like a cat who wasn't being fed.

Wu's guess was that the cat belonged to someone else in the palace, or had been brought in to take care of mice, and he got around through the walls and was just particularly fond of the old cat hub.

The fifth morning of his vacation, Mako woke up with a sense that there was something he had to do. He was supposed to be relaxing, but there was a constant nagging feeling that he had done something like left his stove on or forgotten to do some essential paperwork. He pictured his apartment as a burned husk, and then he imagined the chief contacting him to chew him out for the paperwork. He wasn't sure which would feel worse.

He sat at breakfast mentally going through everything he had done on the day he left. What had he forgotten? Wu tried chatting with him, but quickly gave up and turned his attention to the other people at the table.

“Late night?” Tu asked him, finally knocking him back to reality.

“No, nothing like that.” He frowned and poked at his breakfast. “I just can't get over thinking that I forgot something.”

“Man, I was like that the whole ride out here. I opened up my luggage and it turned out I hadn't packed any socks. But Jun always overpacks so it wasn't a crisis. It'll probably be the same kind of thing.”

“Yeah.” He told Tu a little more specifically what he was worried about, hoping it would trigger some memory.

“No, man, actually that sounds different than what was bugging me. Like, you sound more like you're a workaholic who hasn't taken any time off in a long time, and you're feeling guilty about it. I mean, maybe you forgot something at your job, but is there anything they _really_ couldn't handle without you? I've met your chief, and she seems like a competent woman.”

“...yeah,” Mako said, sighing. “Maybe you're right.”

“Of course he's right!” Wu said, sitting down next to Tu and putting his arm around his shoulders. “Whatever you're talking about.”

“Thanks, bro,” Tu said.

“If you're done patting each other on the back,” Mako said.

“Never,” Wu said. “Hey, Mako, I hope you're ready for what I've got planned today!” He let go of Tu and leaned across the table towards Mako.

“Does it have to do with how everyone is dressed up?” Mako asked.

“I knew it! You weren't listening to a word I said yesterday. Or this morning.” He looked Mako over. “Your normal clothes look fine, but you're the kind of handsome that looks good in anything.”

“Um, thanks, I guess. What are we doing?”

“The best band in the Earth Kingdom, _Jackalope Anarchy_ , is in Ba Sing Se, so I'm getting my own private show. Just me and my 100 closest pals, and all of you are invited.” Most of the invites were going to people who were politically important, but he wasn't leaving Mako's family out of it after they had been so kind to him.

Wu had decided there was going to be dancing, even if he had to drag the King of Omashu out onto the dance floor himself.

Mako got up, abandoning most of his breakfast, and went back to his room to change. He set his good suit on the bed for two minutes while he found his dress shoes, and when he turned back, the cat was sitting on it. He spent the next twenty minutes trying to pick off every piece of white fur before he gave up and just accepted that for now he was a guy who always had cat hair on him.

 


	4. Chapter 4

The concert was taking place in the biggest room Mako had yet to see in the palace. The stage was set up, but no one was on it so Mako decided that meant he was still on time.

“Mako! I'm glad you made it.” Grandma Yin greeted him when he came in. She was so distracted by all the glitz, he carefully led her over to a seat before she got so light-headed she passed out.

Three trained otter-penguins in tiny black and white outfits waddled past and Mako stared after them for a minute. Was this part of the concertor did Wu just love a production? A servant came by and offered Mako a drink from a tray. He got one for Yin, but she had disappeared when he walked back to her, so he sipped it himself.

He spotted Wu a few times, in the distance, schmoozing with people Mako didn't recognize. He was glad that he wasn't on guard duty – Wu had always loved to throw himself into crowds of near strangers.

Mako sat down with everyone else when the band came out. After the servants passed through the room with a few more rounds of free drinks, people started to get up to dance.

By this point, he was sitting next to Yin. She was on her third drink and tapping her foot to the music and loudly whispering the names of famous people to Mako when she recognize them.

Wu came over and bowed to her, holding out his hand. “I would be honored if you would dance with me, Yin.”

She blushed and took his hand. The music was slow, and Wu was gentle with her. As always. He winked at Mako as he led her away.

“What was that supposed to mean?” he mumbled.

After that, Mako kept his eye on his old friend. By the time the concert was a few songs away from being done, Wu had asked every woman in the room to dance with him. He also asked Tu, some of the other younger men, and a middle aged military official. The kids who had been old enough to attend got together and danced with him as a group. He didn't know the steps at the start, but had perfected it after the first verse.

Maybe he should try to convince Wu to give up the singing career and join a dance troupe.

Mako graciously accepted another drink. Wu was going to ask him to dance, wasn't he? At this point, he would have been insulted (if relieved) if it didn't happen. What did Tu have that he didn't?

He looked down at his drink. If he agreed, he could always blame a few too many of those.

When he looked back up and Wu was heading towards him, his face red and his shirt soaked through. He grinned, and, without a word, grabbed Mako's hand with both of his and pulled him to his feet.

“Have you taken any breaks?” Mako asked. “Sit down and drink some water.”

Wu rolled his eyes. “Honestly, you're like a mother platypus bear, Mako. There'll be plenty of time to rest when it's over.”

“I don't know how to do any of these--”

“Who cares! It's just for fun. Loosen up a little, all right?” Wu pulled Mako to the middle of the crowd.

The song was already half over, so it wasn't like he was going to have to embarrass himself for very long. He watched Wu's steps, and tried to imitate what he was doing. He mimicked them with ease, and then looked up to see Wu was laughing at him.

“Hey! I'm trying.” He found himself smiling.

“You're amazing, Mako,” Wu said. “I mean it.”

“...you look like you're going to pass out.”

“It's really hot in here.” Wu put his hands on Mako's shoulders and spun them both around, deftly avoiding getting stepped on.

“Or you need to calm down!” Mako said. He was dizzy. He felt embarrassed, but not about people seeing them.

The song came to an abrupt end, and he went still, relieved. The next song was the last one of the show, and it was a slow song to lead everyone out.

“See? It's almost over, and I'm fine,” Wu said. “I'll go to the spa after this and just relax the rest of the day.”

Mako started to reply, but lost his words when Wu took his hands and put them on his waist.

“I know you know this one, big guy,” Wu said, putting his hands on Mako's shoulders. They were an arms' length apart, but he felt uncomfortably close.

“Um.” He swallowed, heavily. “Wu?”

“Don't look so nervous.” He raised an eyebrow. “I promise I won't bite.”

“If you say 'unless you want me to' I'm walking out of this room,” Mako said.

“I guess that's kind of a played out line.” He waggled his eyebrows.

Mako laughed, despite himself. He let Wu lead them around. It was strange, but no one seemed to be paying attention to them.

“Mako, I feel like I'm dancing with my great-aunt,” Wu complained.

He rolled his eyes. “You're coated in your own sweat and your cologne is overpowering. No offense.” He pulled Wu a little closer, to a less awkward distance.

Wu immediately rested his head on Mako's shoulder. Mako glanced down at him and realized Wu had closed his eyes. If he didn't start leading, there was no way they weren't going to plow into another group of dancers. He became very alarmed as Chow and his wife approached, but Wu moved them away in time.

“It's really hot in here, Mako,” Wu whined, against his neck.

“It's not that bad. You just haven't been drinking enough water.”

“I had like six of those berry seltzer things they were passing out to the kids. It's still hot.”

“You're wearing a scarf and gloves,” Mako pointed out. Wu was pressed up against him completely now. He did feel very warm.

“They match my eyes,” Wu said. “What was I supposed to do?”

“Wu.” He sighed.

“Hm?”

“Nothing.”

“Mako?” His voice was quiet, almost inaudible. “Thanks for caring about me.”

He wasn't sure what to say to that. Wu was obviously out of himself a little, dehydrated and tired. “If you'd just take better care of yourself, I wouldn't have to.”

The song ended and he pulled back. Wu weaved where he stood and Mako held him steady.

“Go lay down,” Mako said.

Wu nodded, and Mako helped him out of the hall. One of Wu's bodyguards hurried over, outside the room, and Mako handed him over.

“I need to get to the First Circle Maximum Health Club, stat,” he heard Wu say to his guard as he was carried away. “I have some emergency relaxing I need to get a start on.”

Mako shook his head and walked alone back to his own room.

–

Wu didn't make it to breakfast the next morning.

Mako knew he shouldn't worry. He was acting like a mother platypus bear – Wu was right. He had just slept in, after wearing himself out.

“I wonder if Wu's going to show up,” he asked the general table.

“Oh, you didn't hear?” Yin said, concerned.

Mako turned to look at her, frowning.

“Our poor king is very ill.” She clasped her hands together.

“It's the flu,” Tu said. “I guess he passed out in the steam room and some old man had to drag him out in a towel.”

“Everyone's getting sick,” Jun said. “You remember that woman on the train, looked like she was about to die? Bet we all caught it from her.”

“Wait, after he was overheated and dehydrated yesterday, he went and sat in a steam bath?” Mako asked. He was going to kill him. He was going to make sure he was okay, force orange-banana juice down his throat, and kill him.

“He didn't know he was ill,” Yin said.

Mako shoved his chair back and stood up. “Where is he? Does this place have a sickroom?”

“They moved him to his own room a few hours ago,” Yin said. She smiled. “If you aren't kind to him, I will give you the back of my hand.”

“Of course, grandma,” he said. He looked her in the eyes and promised that he would not say a word that Wu would find upsetting.

He hurried out of the room. She was right—he should try to be nice until Wu was feeling well enough to be yelled at.

The guards all let him pass by without comment. There was a woman he didn't recognize outside the door to Wu's bedroom, and he spoke with her for a minute.

“The king was awake a minute ago,” she said, after introducing herself as one of the palace's medical staff. “His condition is stable, and his energies are balancing themselves. If you would like to see him, I can't see any reason why you shouldn't. You might not want to go far into the room, however. He's contagious.”

Mako remembered Wu's face pressed against his neck. “I'm going to get it anyway. Half my family has it.”

She nodded. “Still, be careful.”

The guard waved him in.

Mako took a deep breath and pulled the door open. It was completely dark inside and he could see absolutely nothing once he shut the door again. He didn't want to switch on a light, so he lit a small flame and walked over to the bed.

Wu's eyes were closed and he didn't react to the light or Mako moving around, despite what the doctor had said. He probably shouldn't wake him up.

Lit by the small candle-sized flame, the dark circles under Wu's eyes looked enormous. Mako sat down in a chair pulled up next to the bed, probably by the doctor. He listened to Wu's ragged breathing for a few minutes.

“Wu,” he sighed, under his breath. “You idiot.”

“Hey!” Wu's eyes flew open. “Mako? You're here? To insult me?” He started to cough and he pulled himself into a sitting position.

“I thought you were sleeping,” he said. “...sorry.”

Wu shook his head. “Not really. I mean, I guess I was, sort of. I just got dizzy, so I closed my eyes.”

“I can't believe you went into an overheated room on purpose when you kept complaining about how hot you were,” Mako said.

“I didn't do it on purpose, just to give the chancellor an exciting story to tell about his heroism,” Wu said.

“Who?”

“Oh, the old swell who carried me out. I should send him a nice letter.”

Mako pinched the bridge of his nose. “You just should have gone back to your room and gone to bed.”

“I know, right? Well, hindsight is 20/20.” He shrugged.

“I _told_ you.”

Wu squinted at him and leaned over to turn on a lamp. “Mako, I know you think you're my mother, but the actual woman is long dead.”

“I'm not trying to be your mother!” he protested.

Wu reached over and lightly punched him in the arm. “Calm down, tough guy. I've had the flu before.”

He sighed. “Just don't be stupid about this.”

“Are you kidding? Now that I know I'm sick I am milking this for all that it's worth. I'm not moving from this bed.” He was talking too much, and this set off a brief spate of coughing. “Everyone can bring me whatever I need.”

Mako gave up. He shouldn't be taking Wu's failure to care for himself so personally. “That isn't any different from how you normally live.”

Wu rolled his eyes. “I love you, Mako, but you really need to work on your sense of humor.”

Mako almost let that pass by, but the memory of Wu pressed against him on the dance floor suddenly flashed through his mind. His stomach twisted. “I think that's the seventh time you've said that since I got here.” He hadn't realized he had been counting, until now.

“I'm sorry, but those kinds of dry insults can hurt people's feelings if they don't know you don't mean it.”

“Not that part,” he said.

Wu looked confused.

Had he even realized what he was saying? He probably just said that to everyone he had known for longer than an hour. He was going to regret this. “Wu. Is there something you want to tell me?”

“About what?” Wu asked. He looked like a deer dog caught in train headlights. He drew his knees up to his chest.

“You've been acting strange this whole trip.”

“Do we have to talk about this now?” He coughed, once, very fake. “When I'm so deathly ill?”

Mako was sure of himself now. He felt sick to his stomach. “Wu. Do you have...feelings for me?” he asked. “And you know exactly what I mean by that.” He looked at Wu, frowning.

Wu pulled his blanket over his head.

“Since when are you shy about this?” he asked the blanket lump. “I've seen you hit on violent dictators.”

There was only silence from under the blanket. Mako wondered if he should leave, but then Wu sighed and pulled himself free.

“Mako,” he said, leaning back against his enormous pile of pillows. “I don't think it's _that_ hard to understand. It just turned out it's more important to me that you don't avoid coming out here to see me. You don't really respond to letters. I missed you.”

“Wu...” He was so uncomfortable it was almost hard to breathe. He closed his eyes for a second, and when he opened them, he reached out and took Wu's hand. “I wouldn't avoid you because of that. I promise.”

Wu looked down at his hand. He sniffed, a few times. “You mean it?”

“Yeah. You all right?”

He nodded, still looking at their hands.

“You should get some rest,” Mako said.

“Well, now I'm kind of wound up,” Wu said. “You going to stick around, big guy?”

“Sure, for a while.”

“My eyes aren't focusing right. Read to me?” he asked, a pleading note in his voice.

Mako sighed. “What do you want me to read?”

 


	5. Chapter 5

Wu fell asleep a few pages in, and Mako left a little while after that. He had no idea where to go, or what to do. Wu had been making all the plans, and there was nothing in particular he felt like doing, so he walked through the palace.

He wandered into an enormous conservatory. Birds flocked around a tiny elderly woman holding a bag of bird seed. He sat down on a bench out of sight of her, behind a tree, so he could be alone.

But now that he was alone, he had time for his conversation with Wu to actually sink in.

He sunk low on the bench and covered his face with his hands. His time as a cop was making him too perceptive. He should have let Wu continue to do a terrible job at hiding what he was feeling. Forever.

The birds fluttered around. The old woman screamed and he shot to his feet.

“Oh, Snappy, keep your beak to yourself!” she said, laughing.

He fell back down onto the bench. For a second he had hoped an old woman was being attacked by birds so he didn't have to think about some guy having a crush on him.

–

Wu spent the whole next day in bed, miserable and bored. Mako didn't visit. Yin did, but he told her to stay away so she didn't catch anything. He had his pet goat dog, Radi, brought in. She was too alarmed whenever he started to cough, so he sent her away, too. He tried talking to his guard through the door, but his throat was sore.

The next morning, he had enough. He needed to check on his badgermoles, at the very least. They got antsy if he didn't visit them periodically. Antsy half-trained badgermoles caused problems for everyone.

He got up, and when he didn't immediately fall back onto the bed, he decided he was healthy enough for a quick trip outside.

“If anyone asks, I'm still in there,” he said to his guard as he slipped through the door. “Sleeping.”

“Of course, your eminence,” he replied.

He reminded a few more guards as he walked by that they hadn't seen him, and they all readily agreed that they had hallucinated him passing by.

“Where are my lovelies?” he sang, as he approached the part of the courtyard where they usually met with him. The huge hole in the ground seemed like a good guess. He scrambled down into it, humming a little. His voice was scratchy and deeper than usual, but they knew him well enough that they wouldn't hurt him even if he had lost his voice entirely.

He found them asleep a short distance inside the tunnel. The female opened an eye and grunted, but the male didn't even move. He gave them both a big kiss on the snout and scritches before settling down, leaning against the female.

He fell asleep. He woke up feeling garbled and out of sorts, and the tunnel dust had done nothing good for his voice. His watch told him it had only been an hour, though, so he sang his raspy goodbyes and climbed out again without any worry. He doubted anyone had even noticed.

He was standing at the edge of the hole, brushing dirt off his pants, when he looked up and saw Mako walking towards him. Striding. Marching, with purpose.

Wu tried to look as healthy as possible, straightening his posture and smiling, but ruined it by choking a little on the dust he had just brushed off his pants.

Mako stood two feet away from him. “Wu,” he said. “You are supposed to be resting.” He said this very slowly.

“I'm fine. A little dirt won't kill me, though it might have killed these pants,” he said. “Look, I can see you winding up to lecture me, Mako, but I'm not in the mood.”

“I'm not lecturing you.”

“You can lecture someone just by looking at them, and that's exactly what you're doing. How did you even guess I was out here? It was like, what, an hour?”

“Your guard said you were out so I asked around.”

“He just...told you? Or did you interrogate him?”

“I didn't even really ask.”

Wu rubbed his head. “I don't think anyone around this place gives me the respect I deserve.” He sighed and put his hand on Mako's shoulder. “Oh well, I guess I can't stay mad at you.” He started walking back towards the entrance.

“Wait, why are you mad at _me_?”

“You leave me alone and bored all day yesterday, and then today you pop up out of nowhere? You can say you weren't avoiding me, but you're taking me for a sap.”

He hurried after Wu. “All right, I was avoiding you. But I'm here now.”

Wu glanced back. “That's true.”

“Mostly to tell you that I might not be by for a couple days. I caught it, too, and I don't want you to think I hate you or anything.”

Wu stopped completely and turned around. They were inside, now. He looked Mako up and down. He looked paler than usual and his hair looked like he had only given fixing it up a half-effort. “I feel for you, buddy, it's miserable.” He reached up and patted him on the cheek.

He twitched, in irritation. “It's not that bad.”

“Not yet.” Wu's hand fell to Mako's shoulder. “You know what? Enough of this! It's time for decisive action! I think I know how you can avoid the worst of it and I can cut a couple miserable days off.”

“The last time I tried one of your health remedies, it made me worse,” Mako said.

“I'm not thinking of fish pills, and we're too sick for the quick and cheap tricks. We need a day trip! There are some mineral springs not that far from here, and if you do everything right, it can restore you to perfect health days before you would have on your own. And this isn't just me with one of my kooky schemes, buddy. Doc's all about mineral springs. She said to try them out once I felt good enough to stand up and move around, and look at me now! I'm standing and moving around!” He threw his arms out to emphasize this.

“I don't know. What about the steam room? That didn't help.”

“That's because I didn't know I was sick! You have to time it carefully, make sure you don't get too overheated. You check your temperature and you make sure to have a bath buddy” --he pointed at Mako-- “to push you out if you don't notice you're getting worse. Then, you get out, you drink half a jug of nutrient-infused lychee juice, suck on a frozen frog to cool down, and BAM! You've shaved two days off the end of your cold.”

“A frozen what?”

“You're not that far into it, so you can just let yourself soak for a couple hours and sip the staff's special tea blend. It tastes awful, but that's how you know it's good for you. C'mon. I have my own special section, so we don't have to mingle with the old cranky guys with arthritis.” He lightly elbowed Mako. “You're the only cranky old man for me.”

“Be serious for a minute,” Mako said.

“This is a completely serious suggestion. Grab a swimsuit and let's go. I'll call the driver.”

“Wu.” His shoulders slumped. “Fine. We're going right this second?”

“Well, why not? If we don't nip this in the bud, we're going to be the ones getting nipped, right?”

“I guess.” He wasn’t looking forward to spending the last week of his vacation sick, and this sounded like his only shot at having a few days that weren’t miserable.

He agreed to meet Wu at his car in twenty minutes. As he was in his room collecting his bathing suit, he wondered how he had let this happen. He had been so angry, and now he was going to a health spa? Everything was happening too fast, and his head hurt.

“Mako, are you pouting?” Wu asked, when they had both gotten to the Satomobile.

“…no,” he mumbled.

“In a couple hours, you’ll feel amazing! This will all be a distant memory.”

There were two women in the car with them—one of Wu's drivers, and Li Jing, his bodyguard. They talked quietly with each other and ignored the other passengers.

Wu nodded off after two minutes and Mako was left to sit silently and regret his decision.

–

Wu woke up a short time before they arrived. His head felt stuffed with cotton, and his throat felt like someone had shoved sandpaper down it. But he wasn't bored in his room anymore! He glanced over at Mako.

His old guard had fallen asleep with his neck bent at a painful looking angle. He reached over and put his hand on his arm. “We're almost here, Mako. And you're going to mess up your neck sleeping like that.” Talking hurt.

Mako mumbled nonsense, but didn't wake up.

Wu shook him. “Hey, wake up, you big galute!”

Mako turned towards him and opened his eyes. “What. Wu?” He closed his eyes again.

“You can relax once we're inside.”

“Why are we doing this?”

“For our health. Sure, I was bored and needed out of my room, but I really believe we can kick this flu to the curb!” He shook his fist.

Mako rubbed his head and sat up. “Is this a date?”

Wu opened his mouth to reply, but a raspy confused noise was all that came out. He tried again. “Where did that come from? I don't want to sit in the Satomobile forever, Mako.” He shook his head, opened the car door, and got out.

“I--” He sighed in irritation and followed him out. They were going to have to talk about this again. Wu seemed to think their brief conversation earlier had resolved everything, but Mako had some questions left.

Wu was already well ahead of him, chatting with an employee in a long green gown. Just the idea of going to the mineral baths seemed to have given Wu new energy. When Mako reached him, Wu grabbed onto his arm. “I haven't been here since I was a kid! It looks like the rioters didn't get here. Or they've rebuilt it exactly like I remember.”

Most of the spas Wu had visited while Mako was his bodyguard had a clean, sparse, almost hospital-like aesthetic. This place resembled a gambling parlor with fake gold and tapestries filling every space. It boldly advertised that it was the personal spring of every king since the foundation of Ba Sing Se.

It offered more services than just the springs, but they were the main attraction. Wu led him to the back, through more gilded doors, to his private space.

“Li Jing, do you want to get in on this?” Wu asked.

She shook her head.

“Mako and I are nothing but respectable and respectful gentlemen,” he said.

“Yeah, sure, but I'm not being paid to lounge around in there,” she explained.

Wu shook his head and closed the door on her. “Like she's not going to spend the whole time out there knitting baby clothes. I'm not paying her for that, either! But they're really cute, though, Mako, you should make her show them off sometime.”

Mako had spoken with Wu's bodyguard a few times, but knew very little about her. “Is she...” he gestured towards his own stomach.

“ _Usually._ I've never met her husband, but he's gotta be something else.”

The pool was a light green color, smelling strongly of sulfur. The rock inside the room had been altered by earthbenders centuries ago, so it looked artificial with decorative carvings along and inside it. The room was lit with candles set nearuncomfortable chairs and a table. Mako viewed the pitcher and tray on the table with sick dread.

Over to the side, earthbenders had made a small room where the King and his guests could change and have their privacy.

Wu pushed Mako towards the changing room. “You go ahead.” If it wasn't for their current situation, he would suggest they dispense with the formalities and the bathing suits entirely. He didn't think that would go down very well, even if he pretended he was kidding.

He quickly changed and got in the water while Mako was out of sight. He settled in, letting the healthy minerals sink into his skin. He closed his eyes and sighed.

He heard Mako walking out, so he cracked open one eye and watched him. “I'm sorry to tell you this, but that suit was out of style before I left Republic City.” Mako had the kind of looks where it didn't even matter. His shoulders were broader than Wu remembered. He sighed and closed his eyes again.

“Why would I care about that?” Mako scoffed. Wu heard him get into the water. “This place stinks.”

“That's how you know it's going to work,” Wu explained. “Almost everything that's good for you has to taste or smell bad.”

“Isn't that going to make it really easy to trick you? Would you just eat up sugar pills if they added something that made it taste disgusting?”

“You have to listen to experts, Mako. I've done some treatments that were a bad idea in retrospect, but, c'mon. Have a little faith here.”

“And if something was good for you and it tasted good, would you just ignore it?”

He slid over and put his head on Mako's shoulder. “Doesn't this water feel nice? Don't you just want to soak in it and not think too much about it?”

“If it isn't doing any good, we could be back at the palace, sleeping.”

“You could go to sleep here. I won't get insulted or anything.”

“No, see, since I'm here I have to make sure you don't get overheated and make yourself worse.”

Wu sighed. “You're too good to me, Mako.”

Mako didn't respond at all, so Wu opened his eyes and looked up at him. He was staring. Wu swallowed, heavily.

“This _is_ a date,” Mako said.

Wu laughed, uncomfortable. “No, but if that's what you want, I'm not going to argue.”

“You didn't invite my family, and there's plenty of room in here for more people,” he pointed out.

“Oh. Yeah, I could have invited some of them,” he said. “I don't want to see Grandma Yin until I'm better, though, because it'd be awful if she got sick at her age.”

Now Mako was frowning at him, his carefully maintained eyebrows forming an angry M.

“Mako,” he whined, “Do we have to talk about this? I'm not, I don't know, tricking you into going out with me. Okay, so I planned on tricking you into marrying someone in the Earth Kingdom so you would have to move here, but that fell apart like day one. I asked you here because you were around when I decided to do this.”

“What? Was _that_ what trying to set me up was about?”

“Well, everyone would have won! There were no downsides to that plan.”

“Other than me not wanting to quit my job and live here,” Mako said. “And you—look at you. How would that be better for you?”

Mako wondered if he should stop pushing this. Wu's expression was drooping as much as his hair was, in the warm air. He felt small and vulnerable, pressed against Mako's arm. He wondered why neither of them was moving away. Wu trusted him too much.

It made him feel sick to his stomach.

“Of course it would be better for me,” Wu said.

“You aren't thinking this through. It hurts being around someone who doesn't feel the same way about you.”

Wu actually rolled his eyes. “Thanks for the heads up, buddy.”

Mako sighed. “Wu, would you get out of here?”

“What?” He sat up and shifted away. “Well, if you're going to be like that about it--”

“Wu! It's been fifteen minutes, at least. You were getting out after that, right? Doctor's orders?”

“...oh. Oh! Right. You could have led with that.” He stood up and got out, wrapping himself in a towel. He poured out a green liquid from the pitcher and made a face as he took a sip.

Mako looked down at his hands, thinking. He got out and went over to sit in the seat across from Wu's. “What is this stuff?”

“You didn't have to get out yet,” Wu said. “And I don't know. It tastes like they dumped out the ice box and tossed it in a blender. It's for advanced cases. You just have to have the tea.”

There was no tea. He would have to wait. He watched Wu continue to drink something he had already admitted tasted horrible. He made a face every single sip.

Wu's skin was still damp from the pool. Drops of water slowly trailed down his narrow shoulders. Mako couldn't stand watching it, and couldn't look away, so after a minute in a fit of irritation he tossed a clean towel from their pile of a thousand at Wu's head.

Wu was still sputtering when there was a knock at the door. Wu hopped up to greet the attendant, once he realized she was pretty. She bowed, poured a cup of tea for Mako and set down the pot, bowed to Wu again, and left. Mako saw Li Jing outside the door, serenely knitting, before it was shut on them again.

Mako sipped his tea. “This isn't bad.”

“Give me that!” Wu swiped his cup and took a sip. “Why do you get to drink this and I have to drink” --he jabbed his finger at the pitcher-- “ _that?”_

Mako took his cup back and shrugged. “Don't you have to suck on your frog?”

He glared at him for a second, and then sighed, shoulders slumping. “Yeah, I guess. If this doesn't work, I'm having a word with management here.”

“You sound a little better.”

“Good, because I don't _feel_ any better.”

“Sorry.”

“You could sound a little more sympathetic.”

“I mean, you made the decision to drink it on your own. I had no part in that.”

“...push over a frog.” He sighed.

The odd smelling basket was within easy reach, but Mako obliged him, pushing it closer.

Wu removed something that was, Mako realized, literally a frozen frog, and eyed it. “Maybe I'm vegetarian.” He shrugged. “Well, why not?”

He shoved the entire animal in his mouth.

Mako watched, horrified, but unable to look away. It wasn't until Wu went to spit it out that he was able to cover his face for his own good. “That was disgusting.”

“It didn't taste as bad as I thought it would,” Wu said. “Mako, while I had that frog in my mouth, I was thinking. If this is a date, I didn't intend it that way! What a boring time, if you don't even know it's supposed to be romantic. But I just read Guru Feng's new lifestyle manual which I highly recommend, by the way. He opened my eyes! Apparently we have all sorts of _hidden_ motivations, and if we want to truly understand ourselves, we have to look past our surface excuses. Maybe this is like that! I mean, I'm head over heels for you, so it makes sense my _sub_ conscious would try to set us up on a date.”

“I think that's looking too much into it.”

“Or maybe I wasn't looking into it enough!” His throat felt a little better. “So on behalf of my subconscious, I want to apologize for being underhanded. Next time, if I want to ask you on a date, I'll just do it.”

“Oh. Well. Good, I guess.”

He sipped his repulsive health juice. “Hm. You know what?”

“What?” Mako looked worried. He had brought up the topic of conversation, but somewhere along the line he had lost control.

“I just shoved a whole frog in my mouth, and it tasted great! Today's a day for taking risks. I'm going to shove another frog in my mouth,” he said, leaning forward.

When Wu didn't actually put anything in his mouth, Mako asked, “Are you trying to make that a metaphor? It doesn't work.”

“Mako,” he said, serious. He raised an eyebrow.

Oh, god. Mako leaned back a little, as Wu leaned in towards him.

“How about you and me spend a night out on the town, sometime? Just you, me, and my beautiful city.”

Mako opened his mouth to reply, but “no” didn't come out. Nothing came out.

No was so easy. Wu was expecting it, Mako was expecting it. They would consider the whole thing resolved, and move on with their lives. Well, Mako would. Wu would be a little hurt, but then he'd run across some pretty face and forget about all of this.

Wu was giving him a slightly concerned look.

This wasn't fair. Wu was a lazy, over-dressed, spoiled, entitled brat, but he didn't deserve to have his heart broken.

Wu reached over and patted Mako's hand. “It's all right. We'll pretend I didn't ask.”

“Do I have to answer now?” Mako asked.

Wu looked surprised. “I guess you can consider it an open invitation, if you like.” He winked.

Mako's face felt hot.

He puffed himself up. “I'm a very eligible bachelor, even if you don't believe it, so it's not open forever.”

He nodded and rubbed his head. “Can we go back?”

“Sure! I mean, unless you want to go back in for a little longer,” he said, jutting his thumb at the pool.

“No.” He was starting to get a headache. He probably wasn't even sick. This was all from stress.

Almost like he was trying to prove that point, Wu put his hand on Mako's arm, increasing the headache 100%.

“Don't take it personally, but you look awful,” Wu said. “You should have stayed in for the full half an hour you were supposed to, because I don't think this helped at all.”

“Yeah.”

Wu pushed him towards the changing area. When Mako came back out, Wu was still half dressed. He had his pants on, but was sitting putting his shoes on instead of getting on his shirt like a rational person would.

Mako sat down and poured himself another cup of tea, gripping the handle tight enough that the cup shook slightly.

 


	6. Chapter 6

Wu was about ready to collapse by the time they got back to the palace, but he tried to keep that from poor mothering Mako. It was easy with him refusing to even glance at Wu out of the corner of his eye.

Oh well, he had made a promise not to avoid Wu, so he would get over it. He trusted Mako not to lie about that.

He called his secretary in. The man was well over six feet tall and his pen was dwarfed by his hand.

“Jong-soo, set me up with a reservation for _the_ best restaurant in the city. Whichever one that is. Oo, I know! What's that place with the live pentapus? I keep hearing about it.”

“I know the place,” Jong-soo said. “When should I set it up for?”

“Oh, I don't know. Well, I'm the king. I don't need reservations, right?”

His pen went still. “Should I tell them you might be there at some point...in the next week? Month?”

“It could be never for all I know,” he said, frowning. “If I go after I step down, I'm going to need to actually make a reservation. It's going to be irritating being on the same level as everyone else. I don't know how you live with it, Jong-soo.”

“We get by, somehow,” he said. He glanced down at his appointment book. “I will let them know at some point possibly in the future you might be having dinner there. Will you be dining alone?”

“Of course not. It's plus one, and my date needs to have the best night of their life.”

He wrote it down. “'Reservation for two, whenever.'”

“And I'll need the limo out of the garage and cleaned up, because my date isn't getting stuffed in the back of a standard class Satomobile, no sir.”

“'Wash the limo, at some point.'”

“And I'm going to need to—Jong-soo, do you think I need a new suit? I think I need a whole new ensemble. I'll pick it out, but it'll have to be tailored for the occasion.”

He wrote this down, as well, and then said, “Depending on when you need it for, isn't there a risk that whatever you choose will be out of fashion?”

“Shoot, you're right. But it's not like there's any reason _not_ to buy a new suit. I can wear it when I'm upset if I don't get a yes, because there's nothing that soothes the soul like reminding yourself how good you look.”

“That's true, sir.”

“Of course _you_ get that, pal. Other people don't get it like we do.” If he got into talking about fashion with Jong-soo, he would never get any beauty rest.

He sent his secretary away and went to sleep with a smile on his face. Everything was going to be perfect, if he could just convince Mako to go along with the idea.

–

Mako was not smiling, and he was not asleep.

He thought about finding a healer with a sedative, but he hated how stuffy that stuff made his head feel the next day. He was just going to have to suffer through this.

“What am I doing?” he asked.

The cat heard him talking and jumped up onto the bed. He meowed and climbed onto Mako's chest.

“This whole trip has been a mess, from the start,” he told the cat. “I could be chasing down crooks or filing paperwork now. Instead of this.” He reached over and pet it.

_Mako, thanks for caring about me._

He felt sick to his stomach.

_You know, I love you, Mako. With all my heart._

Wu wasn't serious. He couldn't be serious about this.

_You don't really respond to letters. I missed you._

Mako needed to get back home and back to work. He needed to throw himself into it. He was going to be personally responsible for the lowest crime rate Republic City had ever seen. Because, otherwise, Mako might miss him, too.

_Wu's head on his shoulder, his hand on Mako's arm, Mako's arm around his waist. Wu hugging him, Wu pressing his lips against Mako's cheek, kissing Mako's hand. Wu touching his chest, his face, his back, his hair, his knee, his thigh._

His heart was pounding in his chest. He sat up, and the cat jumped down.

“Sorry.” Was he apologizing to a cat? “Sorry.” He reached down to pet him again, but the cat strolled off, ignoring him.

Of course he loved Wu. They were friends. But...

Of _course_ he loved Wu. That was just his luck. Of all the people in this huge world.

He smacked himself on the head and the cat jumped at the noise.

The stinging pain calmed him down, and he started to feel himself giving in. He wanted to fight it, turn Wu down in a way that was clear and definitive and would make him never bring up the subject again.

“You're acting like a kid.” He lay back on the bed. He was too old to be having a tantrum about this, wasn't he? Children pulled hair and denied what they were feeling because it was too embarrassing.

Resignation took over. He stared at the ceiling, his expression dull. The cat jumped back on the bed and walked over his face, but he didn't move.

Mako hoped Wu didn't take him anyplace too over the top for their date.

–

“Don't give up, dude,” Tu said, patting his king on the shoulder. “Knowing him, 'maybe' just means he wants to, but he's convinced himself it's a bad idea. Once he stops over-analyzing his feelings, it'll work out.”

“But it isn't a bad idea! It's one of the best ideas I've ever had!” Wu protested.

“Hey, I hear you.”

Wu sighed. “What would I do without you, Tu? You have this...street wisdom.”

“Thanks, man.” It was probably more of an insult than anything, but Tu knew he meant well.

“You should move back to Ba Sing Se and work for me. It'll probably pay better than whatever you're doing now.”

“I'll move back if Dad wants to,” he said. “Everyone finally settled in and if we move back, we'll be leaving people behind. Are you really staying here after you quit?”

“I guess I could move to one of my estates,” Wu said. He continued, quieter. “I...don't really know what I'm going to do.”

“Maybe you should figure that out,” Tu said. He took a huge bite out of a muffin.

“Tu's right,” Mako said, behind them.

Wu jumped. “Oh! Wow, I didn't hear you at all, Mako. I guess a cop needs to know how to sneak up on people, right?” He looked up at him, from his chair. “I hate to tell you this, but you have about an inch of cat hair on you.”

“I know I do.”

“Modern civilization has something called lint rollers. You don't have to live like this, buddy.”

“Wu, I don't _care_.”

Wu raised his hands. “I'm just trying to help you out here. Sharing a little of my own palace wisdom with you.”

“What? I already knew what--” he stopped and closed his eyes for a second. “Never mind. Wu, can we talk for a minute?”

“Of course. What is it?”

He closed his eyes again. “Not _here.”_ In front of half his family.

Tu nudged Wu with his elbow and Wu's eyebrows shot up. “Oh! Sure.” He hopped out of his chair. He pressed his palm against Mako's back and gently pushed him out of the room.

“Wu, where are we going?” Mako asked when they didn't stop right outside the door.

“Well, you're telling me something important, right? So we shouldn't talk in some random boring hallway.”

“I guess,” he said, worried. He didn't say another word until Wu stopped walking. They were back in the conservatory, but this time the woman who fed the birds wasn't around. They were alone.

“There! This place is always pretty private this time of day.” The constant bird noise also made it difficult for anyone to overhear conversation by accident.

“Okay, just a quiet room somewhere would have been fine. But we're here now, so, whatever.”

“What did you want to tell me, Mako?” Wu asked. He wished he had put more effort into his hair that morning. He wasn't sure, but that might be the sort of thing that would tip the balance in his favor.

“I thought about what you asked,” Mako said, rubbing the back of his neck.

“Ye~s?” He looked up at Mako, trying to steel himself while also giving Mako adoring polar bear puppy eyes.

“Um.” Wu was giving him a strange look. “One date would be all right.”

“Mako, your enthusiasm is killing me,” Wu said. He was delighted.

“Just don't go over the top with it.”

“Me? Over the top?” He faked shock. “Nah, I already have it figured out. We'll go to a nice restaurant and it will all be quiet and romantic.” He slung his arms around Mako's neck. “Sound good?”

“..yeah.”

“Mako, are you blushing?” He wondered what the reaction would be if he went in for a quick smooch.

“No.” His face felt hot.

Wu was looking up at him, curious. “Whatever you say, fella.”

He didn't push Wu off, and Wu didn't move until a bird flew overhead, screeching. Wu leaned back a little to get a look at it.

“I think that was a cranefish. I didn't know we had any of those,” he said, briefly distracted.

“Wu,” he said. He sighed and put his arms around him.

Wu quirked an eyebrow.

He leaned down and pressed a kiss against Wu's lips. They were soft, from years of careful moisturizing.

Wu tightened his arms around Mako, pulling himself higher against him. He tilted his head and kissed back. He wasn't wasting this chance.

The cranefish landed on a bench near them. Mako started at the loud noise it made, and he pulled back. Wu's face was still not even an inch away. He was smiling.

“What am I getting into?” Mako wondered.

“Well, hopefully a nice suit,” Wu said, softly, his voice even lower than usual. “Because if you're feeling up to it, I'm giving you the best night of your life.”

“Tonight?”

“We don't exactly have a lot of time,” he said. He groaned and leaned back, so suddenly Mako was supporting him completely. Wu flung his arm over his forehead. “I should have asked you out day one!”

“I would have turned you down,” Mako said. His heart was pounding in his chest, and he wanted to kiss Wu again. Back when Wu was trying to set him up with every random woman they came across, he had said something about how people always had flings on vacation. Maybe that was what this was.

Wu jumped up, wrapping his legs around Mako's waist and kissing him again. Mako quickly dropped his hands down and tried to hold him up without falling over. He kept stepping back, trying to keep his balance. His back eventually hit a tree.

Wu dropped down again. “Turtlefeathers! I need to start getting ready, don't I? I wasn't prepared for this.”

“It's not even--“ Mako broke off. “You know what? Just—go do whatever you need to do.” He needed to process this, himself. If Wu had to get his nails done, Mako wasn't going to press the issue of whether midday was too early to get ready for dinner.

“Thanks, buddy.” Wu reached up and touched Mako's face. “You do you, and I'll do me.” He gave Mako another quick peck and hurried off to make preparations.

“Just don't--” It was too late. Wu was gone. Mako groaned and slid to the ground, covering his face with his hands. This all screamed “bad life decision” on his part, but if he reminded himself that he had a train ticket sending him off to Republic City in a few days, it made him feel a little less sick.

 


	7. Chapter 7

It turned out Wu's secretary had done  _zilch,_ and the reservations had to be made and the limo cleaned and appropriate clothes found. He didn't have enough time to pick out a new suit unless he wanted to 1. rush it, or 2. put off the date for a day. Neither of those were good options.

“How do I look, Li Jing” Wu asked, emerging from his bedroom after a frantic three hours of preparation.

“Like usual,” she said.

“Oblivious to beauty as ever,” he said. “C'mon. I'm not asking much. You can even lie.”

“You look very handsome,” she said.

“Your husband must be an absolute paragon of male beauty,” Wu said. “He's ruined you for the rest of us schlubs, right?”

She considered this. “Yes, that's true.”

Wu shook his head. “The rest of us can only dream to be that much in love.” He hadn't suddenly lost the ability to appreciate a well put together dame.

He tugged at his scarf, adjusting it and readjusting it. He couldn't seem to stop fiddling with his clothes and checking his hair in every reflective surface he passed. He wasn't usually this nervous on his dates.

He had been on hundreds of first dates before. He just had to remind himself of that fact, reassure himself.

But if this one went badly, _that would be the worst thing that ever happened._

He stopped walking and took a few deep breaths. Maybe his time would have been better spent practicing meditation or getting a massage.

“Did you forget something?” Li Jing asked. She was already mentally counting her hazard pay for guarding the prince outside of the palace, so she was in a good mood.

“Did I?” Wu asked, near panic. He closed his eyes and forced a few more deep breaths. “No. Everything's fantastic! Nothing's going wrong tonight.” He shoved a door wide open and burst into the next room. The door barely missed knocking out a servant, showing him that luck really was on his (and that guy's) side.

Mako was already waiting at the car, and Wu realized his brief freakout had taken him from showing up exactly on time to being several minutes late.

“Oh, hey,” Mako said, not commenting on the lateness he must have noticed.

“Doesn't look like I was _too_ fashionably late,” Wu said, deciding to pretend it was all on purpose.

“You're late? Yeah, I guess not,” Mako said. He took a deep breath, and then said, “You look...nice.”

Wu frowned for a second. What was that pause about? Never mind. His face lit up and he walked over to Mako, touching his arm. “Well, you're just as handsome as ever, big guy.”

He really was. He smelled like he had used a more expensive aftershave lotion than usual, and it didn't smell half bad for something he had probably picked up at a department store. He was wearing the best suit he had brought with him, and even though Wu had seen it a couple times already, he appreciated the effort.

“Thanks.”

There was a brief awkward silence, and then Wu said, loud, “Driver, we're ready to leave!”

The driver got out of the limo and opened the door for them. Wu got in and Mako slid in after him.

“Nice Satomobile,” Mako said.

“Well, the king can't be seen tooling around town in a glorified rickshaw,” Wu said. “Not on a date.”

“I guess.” That raised a question Mako wanted to ask. Wu kept saying he was giving up his position, but he still seemed pretty invested in it. Now might not be the right moment for that, though, so he kept that thought to himself.

“Look, there's even a little ice box in here for drinks,” Wu said. He pulled out the tray, revealing several bottles.

“That seems kind of...” Mako trailed off.

Wu got out two glasses and poured one for both of them. “What?”

“Thanks,” he said, shaking his head. He was trying not to be negative. They drove over a bump and some of the clear liquid sloshed over onto his jacket.

Wu took out a handkerchief and unnecessarily dabbed at the tiny amount of liquid. “There!”

“This isn't going overboard?” Mako asked. “The fancy car, and the drinks, and everything?”

Wu looked baffled. He put his hand on Mako's leg. “This is overboard for you? What did you normally do on dates? Grab a handful of flowers and drag your girl down to the mess hall? It would be an insult to you if someone like me took you on a date like that, Mako.”

“Someone like you,” he repeated. He was trying not to be critical and negative about everything, but he realized he was completely failing at that. He sipped his drink. “...not bad,” he mumbled.

“If it bothers you, I'll let you take me out next time,” he said, easily. “Isn't it good? You're kind of a wet blanket, _in the best way possible,_ so I left the giggle water in the ice box.”

Mako looked down at his glass. It was soda in a fancy bottle? “...are we arguing?”

Wu held his hand up. “No, I'm not mad! Maybe I'm a little nervous going out with such a keen fellow who seems like he's waiting to jump down my throat” --he imitated the motion of diving into water-- “over every little thing.”

Mako sighed and scraped his hand down his face. “Sorry. Just. How am I supposed to take this? Am I supposed to be impressed?”

“You're supposed to notice how much space there is back there, and think about how after dinner if we're both feeling our oats when we get back in here there's plenty of room for some comfortable smooching,” Wu said. He shifted closer and waggled his eyebrows.

Mako covered his face with his free hand.

Wu elbowed him. “I'm just razzing you. Take a deep breath, look me in the eyes, and tell me you're here to have fun. That's all I'm looking for.”

Now he was embarrassed about how embarrassed he was. He looked Wu in the eye. “There's not much time for anything else before I go.”

Wu made a frustrated noise and threw his hands up, sloshing what was left of his own drink right out of the glass. He didn't seem to notice. “That's the opposite of what I asked! You don't mention the end of the vacation until you're standing on the train platform saying goodbye! It throws a cold bucket of water over our good time.”

Mako frowned and didn't say anything. He was getting tired of the platypus-bear mother and wet blanket comments.

Wu fiddled with his scarf, carefully readjusting it. This was going swimmingly. “All right, maybe that was rude. If you want to talk about going home, I shouldn't just shut you down.”

“We just have three days to figure this out,” Mako said. “If there's even anything to figure out,” he muttered.

“You could switch your ticket and stay a little longer,” Wu suggested.

“No.”

“I thought that was a pretty reasonable suggestion, but you just shut it down like that?”

“I already know there's a stack of papers I won't be able to see over sitting on my desk,” Mako said.

“Why would they give you work when you're on vacation?” He was aghast. “Lin seemed like a reasonable woman.”

“It's not work they're giving me, Wu. It's work from cases I've already taken on—I have to sign off on some of it personally,” he explained, slowly. “I took on the responsibility, and now I'm the only one who can follow through on some of it.”

Wu looked him over for a second, before responding. “...okay, I get it.”

“Maybe you think I'm being a killjoy, but I can't just leave that stuff forever.”

“I said I get it. I mean, it's not like I don't have responsibilities.” He pouted. “A whole nation of them, and it turns out abdicating and trying to build a whole new system of government is a hassle. It probably would have been easier to just be king and have my ministers do everything.”

“You're still abdicating, though, right,” he pressed.

“Of course I am! This whole system is outdated and nonsensical, considering the way the world has been going. I mean, there are a lot of perks with this job! I'm not going to dismiss them and say I'm sad to be king, but if there's a chance to change the system to a better one, of course it's worth trying. But it's my vacation! This is the last thing I want to talk about.”

That was a shame, because Mako was actually interested. “When are you moving out of the palace?”

Wu sighed. “I'll probably be packing up my stuff starting as soon as you and your family leave. I just got settled in, got the place stocked with birds, and now I'm moving again.”

The limo came to a gentle stop. Mako glanced out the tinted window, and saw that they were outside some swanky restaurant. There were other patrons leaving their cars, and they made him feel under-dressed. Getting in with the king, though, meant that he could be dressed in rags and they wouldn't turn him away.

“I don't mind that much, but it's going to be rough on the badgermoles,” Wu said, as he got out.

Mako walked a little bit behind him, hands in his pockets, looking around. If he had to guess from the décor, it was the kind of restaurant that tried to get you to eat live seafood. The script on the sign was so fancy it was illegible.

He waited for the staff to finish bowing and lead them to a small, separate room. There was only one table in the center of the neatly decorated space.

“Our private room,” Wu said.

Mako rolled his eyes, but didn't say what he was thinking. “Great. What kind of food do they have here?”

“I looked at the menu when I was planning this to see if there was anything you liked, but it turned out I have next to no idea what you eat,” Wu admitted. “There's still a lot of stuff I don't know about you.”

“That's not my fault,” Mako said. He opened his menu and gave it a worried once over. “I'm not really picky.” There had to something on here he wanted.

“You don't have to be picky here, because everything's going to be fantastic or they're hearing from me,” Wu promised.

Mako nodded. With Wu, that meant he would actually talk with them. There might even be an encouraging pep talk at the end if he wasn't too mad. His great aunt probably would have thrown a bad chef into exile or fined the restaurant into oblivion. If he had decided to stay a king, would he have ended up more like her?

“Wu, do you know where you're going after you leave?” he asked.

“Nah.” Wu looked disappointed at the change in topic, but he was resigned to it. “They've already got it fixed so I'll have some land leftover that isn't just getting sold or handed over to the new government, so I've got options. I might sell some and rent a place here. It'd be nice to move out to the country for the badgermoles, but I think I'd go screwy so far away from everything.”

“So you really have no idea what you're doing.”

“I have plenty of ideas! I feel like you're doing the cop thing and I'm a criminal you're grilling,” he muttered.

“That's not—I'm not saying you have to know what you're doing,” Mako said. He sighed, frustrated. “Okay?” He didn't want to say it. He had to say it. There wasn't a lot of time. “I'm just trying to figure out whether this is going anywhere other than some... ritzy overpriced restaurants with bad food.”

“What's going where? And you haven't even had the food yet, so how do you know what it's going to taste like?” He was getting irritated again.

“This,” Mako said. Then, he said, quieter, “Us.” That was incredibly embarrassing to say out loud, so he picked up his menu and pretended to carefully examine every line of its single page.

“Us?” Wu's eyebrows shot up. “Mako,” he reached across the table and pulled down Mako's menu. “There's an us?”

“Well, I don't know yet,” he said, out the corner of his mouth.

Wu didn't say anything for a minute, and Mako forced himself to look up. Wu had a smile on like a cat owl.

“What?” Mako finally asked. He was blushing.

“You're something else,” Wu said. “I think we're on the same page here.” He reached for Mako's hand and held it in his.

“Are we? I wasn't really trying to be romantic.” He didn't pull his hand away.

“It's just your natural talent,” he said.

“I guess.”

The server knocked and walked in, and Mako quickly retrieved his hand. He wasn't sure why he bothered. Everyone knew exactly why he was here, but he was still uncomfortable. He would have to figure out how to deal with that.

When they were alone again, Wu spoke first. “I get it now. I just thought you were being kind of a, well, I won't say.”

“A kill joy? A wet blanket? A platypus-bear mother?” he suggested.

“Yeah, those.” He rapped his fingers on the table, thinking. “You know, I can always get you a job out here.”

“I don't want to just quit my job,” Mako said. It probably wasn't even going to work out, and he was supposed to quit the job he loved and move? “Why am I the one moving out here, anyway? Is there any reason you need to stay here?”

Wu looked surprised. “You think I should move back to Republic City?”

He shook his head. “It's just, why do I have to do it? I'm not your bodyguard, and you're not going to be a king anymore. There's no point getting into this if you still think I work for you.”

Wu put his hands up, defensively. “Mako. The idea just literally never occurred to me. I didn't hate living in your city.”

“But I don't want you moving out there after we've gone out one time,” he said.

“It couldn't be for a while, anyway, so I don't have to decide right this second. You can come and visit me again and actually reply to my letters and we'll see where it goes. Okay?”

“...okay.”

“See, we're a couple of reasonable fellas. We just have to talk it out, and we've got this licked.”

“Maybe,” Mako said.

“C'mere. No, wait, I'll go over.” Wu got up and walked around to him.

Mako looked up. He was still frowning, thinking about the hundred ways this was going to go wrong. He hadn't had a lot of luck in love.

Wu leaned down, one hand behind his back, and gave Mako a quick peck on the lips. Maybe that would finally change the subject. He climbed onto Mako's lap and grinned at him.

“...hello,” Mako said. He tried not to smile back, but he couldn't help himself. “Did you want something?”

Wu slung his arms over Mako's shoulders. “I don't know if I should say.” He waggled his eyebrows.

Mako laughed, and Wu gave him a surprised look. Mako put his hand on the back of Wu's neck and pressed his lips against Wu's forehead. After a little while, he said, “Yeah, that's probably better.”

“Hey, Mako?”

Mako nodded, but when Wu went to continue, someone tapped on the door. Mako reflexively shoved Wu off his lap.

Wu yelped. “Hey!”

“Sorry!” Mako scrambled down next to him. “Sorry.”

“Sheesh.” Wu rubbed his backside.

“Are you okay?”

“I can take a fall, but come _on._ We were having a moment.”

“Sorry,” Mako repeated.

“You're acting like I'm some two bit hussy you don't want your wife to find you with,” Wu said, getting to his feet.

“Sorry.”

“Come in!” Wu yelled at the door.

Their server nervously entered carrying a drink tray. Wu went back to his own seat and, after a minute, Mako went back to his.

Wu sipped his drink. “The bartender here isn't half bad.”

“I'm really, _really_ sorry,” Mako said. Their waitress had left, again. She promised to be back soon with their appetizers.

“Of course I forgive you, Mako. I mean, maybe I'm starting to get a good idea why the ladies aren't crawling all over you, if that's how you act when someone gets a little amorous.”

“That's not why I--” he broke off, and sighed. “I guess it has been a while since I've gone out with anyone.

“Maybe things were different with you and a bearcat like the Avatar, but with the rest of us you gotta ask nice before you toss us around,” Wu explained.

“You said you forgive me, but you still seem kind of mad.”

“More like frustrated.” He held the stem of his glass between two fingers and gently swirled it around. “You know what? I've talked enough about myself. There's something you mentioned once, I want to ask you about.”

“Yeah, okay,” he said, a little worried.

“You said you were a pro bender? I need every detail about that,” he said. “Did you ever play the Black Quarry Boar-q-pines?”

Mako told him about Toza and his time pro-bending. Wu seemed more interested in the celebrity of it, than the actual game, but Mako didn't mind talking about the different teams he had played against.

By the time their food arrived, he was relaxed again.

He took two bites of his dinner. “This is awful,” he said.

Wu reached across and grabbed a piece with his chopsticks. “It's not _that_ bad.” He frowned. “Well, at least their bartender knows how to mix a drink. Try some of mine.”

“I thought this place was supposed to be amazing,” Mako said. He tried Wu's dish, which was less terrible.

Wu swapped their plates. “Eh, a lot of the time you're just paying for the ambiance. Or a fad, like how before the great aunt tragically” --he made a choking noise-- “everyone was importing and serving those yacht sized mollusk steaks; absolutely drowning them in camelephant butter. Maybe them was just an Earth Kingdom thing.”

“I never tried it, but I remember,” Mako said.

“They weren't bad, but everyone went more because of the novelty than the flavor,” Wu explained.

After the main course, Mako decided not to risk a disappointing dessert, so they went back out to the car. Wu hung on his arm, and Mako carefully didn't push him off as soon as anyone looked at them. It got easier the longer he did it.

Wu was used to being stared at. If people stopped looking at him, he would be more uncomfortable than if he humiliated himself in front of a thousand people. He was cut out for the stage, Mako thought, if he didn't have such a terrible singing voice.

“There should be some leftover cake back at the palace,” Wu was telling him. They got in the back of the Satomobile.

“I'm not actually hungry anymore,” Mako said.

“Then do you want something else for dessert?” Wu asked.

Mako turned to ask him what he meant, but his words died in his throat. Wu was smirking. Understanding blossomed into sick nervousness.

Was he ready for that? He should probably wait until he was more comfortable just dating Wu before he thought about the other things he might do with him.

On the other hand, _it had been a really long time._

“For instance, I could have someone mix us something else to drink, or order in a cake from a bakery,” Wu said, deliberately innocent.

Mako tried to swallow, but his throat was too dry. “Sure. I mean, I guess I'm thirsty.”

Wu nudged him with his elbow, “Just not ready to head off to bed yet, huh?”

“Right,” Mako said.

Wu flopped back onto the seat, head on Mako's lap. He reached up and patted Mako on the face.

“Comfortable?”

“You have _no_ idea.”

Mako closed his eyes and tried to settle down. “...Wu?”

“Yeah?” Wu's voice was soft and deep.

“You've been on a lot of dates, right?”

“What? Yes, of course I have.”

It probably didn't matter much what a king's looks or personality were like. Not that Wu was ugly or completely irredeemable. Whatever he had been like, he was going to have luck with women. Maybe with men, too. Did Mako remember him flirting with men? Now that he was thinking about it, he supposed the time Wu had groped Tu's bicep and loudly wondered if Tu could “pick him up” hadn't been innocent conversation.

“Of course you have,” Mako said.

“...why?” Wu asked. “You can't ask something like that and just leave it there.”

Mako looked down at him. “Watch me. Leave it there, I mean.”

“Don't worry, I won't use all my experience against you,” Wu promised.

“No actual girlfriends, though, right? You would have written about that.”

“Ouch! No, I didn't have a girlfriend for long enough to write you about,” Wu said, pouting.

“Okay. Don't worry. I won't use my experience against you,” Mako said.

Wu reached up and poked him in the forehead. “Hey.” He jabbed his finger against Mako's head again. “I resent that.”

Mako took Wu's hand before he poked him again and set it down on Wu's chest. When Wu tried to reach up again, he covered Wu's hands with his own and held them down. Wu relaxed, content with that.

“Hey, Mako?” he started, after a moment's silence. “Are we talking experience? Or _experience?_ ”

Mako looked out the window. “I have no idea what you mean,” he said.

“Like, experience? Or like _wink wink nudge nudge_ experience?”

“I actually knew exactly what you meant,” Mako said. “I just didn't want to answer the question.”

“I guess it is a little early for that,” Wu said. “Hey, Mako?” his voice turned sing-song. “Did you and the Avatar--”

“If you ask that question, I'm asking if I can shove you on the floor.”

“Well, thanks for remembering to ask first,” Wu said.

“Whatever I say, you're going to want details.”

“Well, yeah! The Avatar! Come on! Who wouldn't ask?”

Mako sighed, long suffering. “I'm not telling you anything.”

“All right, all right. Don't kiss and tell, right?”

“Right.”

Wu was still looking up at him. “Want to lean down here and make some secrets?”

“That's one of the worst lines I've ever heard you try to pull,” Mako said, almost impressed.

“It's only a bad line if it doesn't work,” Wu said.

It wasn't a bad line.

 


	8. Chapter 8

“Here, let me fix your hair,” Wu said. His own wasn't in much better a state.

Mako reached out and carefully moved a strand of Wu's hair out of his eyes.

“Thanks, Mako.” His face felt hot as he started touching up Mako's hair.

Despite their best efforts, they both still looked like they had gotten into a fight with an airbender inside the car.

“I wonder what they'll think we were up to,” Wu said, nudging Mako in the side and waggling his eyebrows.

Mako shrugged. “Oh well.” He was going to have to get used to that.

They went back to Mako's bedroom. No one seemed to pay particular attention to them.

“Well,” Mako said, outside his door. “That was actually kind of fun.”

Wu smiled and got up on his tip-toes to give Mako a kiss. “We have to do something about how tall you are.”

“I'm really not that tall,” he said. He leaned down a little, solving the problem. He cleared his throat, after a minute. “Um, do you want to come in?” he asked, gesturing to the door.

Wu's voice went up a pitch. “Really?” He coughed. “I mean, of course, Mako.”

“I just don't want to stand out here with your guards watching us,” Mako said. He unlocked the door and held it open.

Wu swept in, head held high, tossing back his scarf. He sat down on the bed and leaned back, in what he hoped was a seductive pose. He needed a mirror.

The cat jumped into his lap.

“Oh, hey there, fella!” Wu said, sitting back up to pet its soft white fur. “I see your friend's still hanging around, Mako.” He drew his legs up onto the bed to make a more comfortable lap for the cat to settle onto.

Mako finished closing his door and turned around. He hadn't been watching when Wu sat on his bed. “He likes you more than he likes me.” He came over and sat next to Wu, his posture stiff and uncomfortable.

“Uhuh,” Wu said, picking white cat hair off Mako's jacket.

“I never said he hated me.” Mako looked down at Wu's hand.

Wu fiddled with one of the brass buttons on Mako's jacket. He didn't undo it.

“Are you...trying to do something with that?” Mako asked. Wu seemed almost hesitant.

“Mako,” Wu said, looking up. “I--”

The cat, irritated by the lack of attention, stood up and bashed the top of his head against Wu's chin, reminding him that he needed to be pet.

“--augh!” Wu fell onto the bed, arms thrown out. The cat hopped off him and onto the floor. Wu lay there for a minute, wounded. “Never met a feline that didn't have a talent for spoiling the moment.”

Mako thought he needed to clarify something. “I invited you in because I didn't want to stand in the hallway.”

“Oh.” Wu looked at him. “That's it? No other reason?”

“That's it. Sorry.” He shrugged. He had considered otherwise, for a minute. But now that they were alone and on a bed, the years that had passed since the last time he had been this close to someone were making his hands shake. He needed some time to let everything sink in, but they didn't have any.

“Oh well, it's not a big deal,” Wu said. He frowned. “But now I've got all this pent up energy, like I could jog around the palace and still have enough to take the badgermoles on a long distance slog across the wasteland.” He threw his hands in the air. “Whatever you've got, they should make it illegal.”

“Thanks?” He should say something nice back. “You aren't bad, either, I guess.”

Wu sat up and looked at him.

“I mean, I like you.”

He patted Mako's leg. “Don't strain yourself, buddy.”

Mako closed his eyes. He was way too out of practice. “It's just been a while.”

“I know you probably think of me as a ritzy cake-eater who never sees the end of a long line of choice dames. I can't blame you. I mean, I am the kind of fella who loves a good time, right?”

Mako looked at him. “But...?” he prompted, before Wu went off on a tangent on his own virility.

“Okay, I'll admit it. You're right if you're thinking that about me, but it's not all loose babes and handsome swells. Most of the time it's all worn out after a few chaste nights out on the town.”

“You really don't have to tell me this.”

“I'm just saying, I'm all right with pants-on canoodling.” Wu put his hand on Mako's shoulder and leaned in, close. “All right?”

“Yeah.” Other than that being possibly the most embarrassing way he could have put it. Before Wu had a chance to say anything else that made his stomach turn, he put his arms around him.

“So you're—oh, hey,”Wu said. He relaxed.

“Hey.” Mako kissed him on the forehead, and then on the lips. He eventually pushed him back on the bed, climbing on him and continuing to kiss him. It was easier not to think about anything, other than the softness of Wu's skin, and the increasingly overwhelming smell of his cologne.

Wu's hair was sticking to his forehead, his skin damp. His hands ran down Mako's back and pushed up the cloth of his jacket. Mako's undershirt was tucked in, so he was barely closer to Mako's skin.

Mako made a frustrated noise and pushed himself up, hands on either side of Wu's shoulders.

Wu gave him a curious look. “Tossing me out?” he asked, his voice low and soft.

He really wasn't ready to do that. “You know what I said, earlier? Thanks for listening to that. I appreciate it.”

“Um, no problem, pal,” Wu said. Were they chatting again? He didn't mind a nice friendly chat, but he had other business in mind.

“Forget it,” Mako said. “Forget every word I said.” It had been a really, _really_ long time.

“All of them? Or just the...” he trailed off, watching as Mako started unbuttoning his jacket.

Mako raised an eyebrow. “Aren't you hot? I don't think you really need a scarf on in here.”

Wu shook his head. “You're too practical, Mako.” He pointed at his own forehead. “Bzzt! What did you say before? You'll have to remind me because I've completely lost it!” He unwound his scarf and hung it over the bedpost. “Poor kid. You've got a real goof for a boyfriend.”

“There's no point trying to get it back. We'll just go on like I never said anything,” Mako said.

“Yeah oh well,” he said. “Anyway!” He grasped the front of Mako's undershirt and yanked him back down.

_Y_ ou are going to regret this, Mako thought. He found it nearly impossible to care. Wu's lips were on his neck. _Who cares? I'm on vacation._

–

Mako woke up pinned in place. The cat was fast asleep on his chest. Wu was right next to it, his leg over Mako's. Wu and the cat were both snoring, gently.

He couldn't move.

He carefully reached up with his free hand and pet the cat. He needed to stop and think a minute, about what he was doing.

Instead, he moved the arm Wu was pinning. “Hey,” he said. “My arm's numb. Shift over.”

“Mako?” Wu's voice was light and confused. “This isn't my bed?” His eyes were still closed. He reached up and started patting Mako's face. “...this isn't my bed,” he said. He smiled.

“The floor's going to be your bed in a second if you don't get off my arm,” Mako said.

“Sunny as ever in the morning,” he mumbled, shifting so Mako could free his arm. “Better?”

Mako hissed and closed his eyes as his arm regained feeling.

“Poor Mako,” Wu said, looking at him, now. He pressed his lips against Mako's cheek and settled back down. He had fallen back asleep by the time Mako's arm felt like normal again.

Mako sighed and nudged Wu in the arm. He didn't stir, so Mako brushed Wu's hair out of his face. What were they going to do about all of this?

He fell back asleep.

–

Mako chose the date that night, so they saw a mover. They walked from the theater to a restaurant, both of them agreeing that it was possibly the worst movie they had ever seen. The restaurant they went to after that had terrible food, which they both also complained about, and when they got back it was late and the best part of the evening had been the walk.

Mako's train was leaving in the morning, and he had no idea when he would see Wu again.

He had to get up early, he decided that he could sleep on the train. He wanted to talk to Wu about their plans, like he had on the first date. Instead, they complained about the movie some more and Mako found out what Wu's bed felt like.

\--

The morning light hadn't even crept over the horizon by the time everyone made it to the train station. Wu noticed that Mako had dark circles under his eyes, and hoped that he had managed to cover up any similar blemishes on himself.

“Yin,” he said, walking over to her and taking her hand. “It was lovely to see you again. I'm glad I could return your hospitality.”

“Oh, your majesty,” she said, blushing and touching her face. She was too flustered to say much. He was relieved she had never caught the illness almost everyone else in the palace had gotten.

He said goodbye to Tu, and all the rest of Mako's family. Tears pricked at his eyes as he hugged Chow goodbye. He loved these salt-of-the-Earth Kingdom types, and he still felt like he owed them something.

Then he turned around and Mako was frowning at him over by a pile of luggage and he had to take a deep breath to calm himself down.

“Well,” he said, walking over. “This was a nice visit.” He put his hand on Mako's shoulder and looked up at him. “Don't you dare be a stranger.”

“I'll write back,” Mako said. He glanced down at Wu's hand. “I promise.”

“More than two lines?” he pressed.

“I wrote a lot more than that, but yeah.” He took a deep breath. “And I'll try to get some time off. But I can't promise anything.”

“Good ol' Mako. I know. Republic City would fall apart without you.”

“Well, no.” Mako shook his head. But Wu sounded like he genuinely believed it, and that meant a lot to him.

“Your hot cougarfox of a boss will tell you off, though. I get your dedication.” He shrugged and stepped back.

“If I promise to visit as soon as I can, will you promise to never call the chief that ever again?”

Wu considered. “I don't know, Mako. That's asking a lot of me.” At Mako's look, he put his hands up in apology.

“We have a couple minutes until the train comes in,” Mako said. “Can we find someplace not right in front of my family?”

“Sure.” Wu had figured out that Mako had some hangups about public displays of affection.

Most of the area was completely open, visible to everyone on the platform, but they ducked down behind a map of the train station and gave themselves a small amount of privacy.

“So this is where we're smooching goodbye?” Wu asked. He looked at the floor they were squatting on. “People spit on this. My shirttails are getting ash all over them. Doesn't anyone have any respect anymore? I mean, look at this! You aren't even supposed to smoke here.”

Mako made a face. “I'm just trying not to look down.”

“And look at all the graffiti! Why isn't anyone cleaning--”

Mako put his hand on Wu's leg and leaned in. “Wu, I can hear the train.”

“Oh. Yeah, I hear it. I just wish we weren't hunched in the garbage back here like you're ashamed of me.”

“I'm not—everyone already knows, Wu.” Mako kind of wished they didn't, but that wasn't an option with Wu. “I just don't want to kiss you with grandma watching.”

“C'mon. Give the old bird a thrill,” Wu said. “Yin's great. She doesn't care.”

The train whistled, loud.

“I just--” he broke off, frustrated. “We don't have time for this!” He stood up and pulled Wu up with him. They were still mostly blocked from view, and with the train coming in, no one was even paying attention.

Wu yelped when Mako yanked him up. He started to tell him off, and then deflated. “Yeah, okay, sorry. We really don't. I just don't want you to go, so I'm trying to pick a fight.”

“I...don't want to go, either. I mean, I have to, and I want to get back to work.” It was piling up by the day, and he was going to lose his mind worrying about it. “But I don't want to leave you here.”

Wu sniffed. “Give me a kiss, you big stud.”

Mako nodded and wrapped his arms around him. When he pulled away, Wu seemed a little less upset.

“Now, get going before I make a scene,” Wu said. He sniffed, loudly, again.

“I'll call when we get back,” he said.

“I'll wait for it like that elephant rat is waiting for us to get out of this garbage,” Wu said. He rubbed his eyes.

Mako glanced over in time to see a tiny skittering animal disappear into the shadows. “I won't forget. We'll figure this out, okay?”

Wu nodded. He stepped back and bowed, taking Mako's hand. He kissed it. “Take care of yourself.”

He felt his face get hot. “You--” he broke off. “I'll--” No. He had to try again. “Yeah. You, uh, do the same.” Smooth. He tried a different tactic. “You have a lot of work to do, and I don't want to hear that you're slacking off.” Who was he, Wu's dead mother?

Wu laughed and nudged him. “You don't have to worry about that. You know the second your eye's off me I'm at the massage parlor letting beautiful dames dig their elbows into my spine.”

Mako sighed and rubbed his forehead. He couldn't let the last thing he said to Wu be some condemnation of his behavior. He didn't want to be the kind of guy who did that. “Wu. I just—you know I care about you. Right? I don't actually have to say it. I'm just embarrassing myself.”

“Well, I love you, so obviously I don't think you have to be embarrassed about it.” Wu shrugged. “You're right. We'll figure something out.”

A distance away, Tu started calling for Mako.

Wu gripped Mako's shoulders and pulled him down into one last kiss. Mako should have been expecting it, but wasn't, so he almost fell over. Wu's back hit the sign, saving them from rolling in some more platform dirt.

They walked back over to where everyone was standing. Wu's hand was around Mako's waist, and Mako's face was bright red. No one asked them where they had been.

“Bye, Mako.”

“I'll write. I promise,” Mako said. He got onto the train with his luggage.

Wu pulled out a handkerchief and started waving it as the train pulled out of the station. Mako waved back, and then leaned back into his seat, closing his eyes. He took a deep breath and slowly let it out. The second time, his breath hitched and his throat suddenly felt tight.

He took out a piece of paper from his luggage, to distract himself. The train wasn't even out of Ba Sing Se. He felt stupid, but he started writing anyway.

\--

_Wu,_

_The sun's just started coming up and it's kind of pretty. Your country is actually beautiful, even the parts that are mostly boring rock. Maybe by the time you read this it won't actually be your country anymore._

_Well I guess it will still be your country._

–

He ended up erasing most of the letter and rewriting it before he sent it.

–

_Dear Mako,_

_I was expecting to have to kick these off myself, so you can guess how surprised I was when I found your letter at the bottom of a stack of tedious paperwork. I think my secretary did that on purpose so I wouldn't quit early._

–

Wu shoved aside the rest of the paperwork he hadn't finished, making more room for him to write the letter. He wrote a few pages, updating Mako on what was going on. He finished up by spritzing the note with cologne and attaching a photograph of himself posing in full regalia with his barely-trained badgermoles. They were also in full regalia.

–

_Wu,_

_No, I am not spraying my paper with perfume so you can find it when your secretary hides it. Do your work. I'm completely on his side on this._

_I saw Bolin and Opal for the first time in months last night. I don't know what I'm supposed to do with all these souvenirs. There's a stuffed fire ferret ten times the size of Pabu that I can't even give away because Bolin will ask about it. He named it Mega-Pabu._

–

“Another love letter?” Lin asked, waving the air in front of her face.

He needed to stop opening his mail at work. “Sorry, Chief.”

The picture went in a frame on his dresser.

–

_Dear Mako,_

_So if you didn't want me living it up in Republic City, you're out of luck. Maybe it's getting kind of ahead of things, what with still being King and all, but I ended up buying the top floor of an apartment building right in the middle of town. I still have to convince some of my staff to keep working for me, but you know they love me so I don't see it ending up an issue._

_I finally figured out who actually owns that cat of yours, by the way._

–

_Wu,_

_Don't send me your underwear. Sometimes I open my mail at work. I'm not mad. Just, don't._

_Anyway, I can take time off next month, for a few days. If you're too busy, I can put it off._

–

_Dear Mako,_

_I'm always busy these days but obviously I'm making time for you. I'm going nuts, anyway. I think even the Avatar will let me have some time off if it's for your visit._

_I don't know if it ended up in the news over there, but she, Asami, and like twelve of my private guards got into a full-scale scuffle in the middle of the conservatory with some low class waterbenders last night, and I can't get two seconds to myself without the press coming at me for a statement. I'm using the opportunity to push my new single. Smart, right?_

_I just wish Korra and everyone hadn't let out all the birds. I had a meeting in the banquet hall for brunch today and I had to carry an umbrella._

_~Wu out~_

–

_Wu,_

_I'm working late nights for a while, so I can't write as much. I'll see you soon. I hope that makes up for it._

_Mako_

–

The train station was immaculate, now that Wu had complained. Korra was sitting on a bench nearby, with Asami.

Wu heard the train rattling as it approached, and gripped his bouquet of flowers tight enough to crush the paper.

 

\--the end--

 


End file.
